Italy's Court Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at 92
The tennis champion is among a select trio of Italian men to claim a Grand Slam singles title.
Italian sport is mourning a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, has died at the age of 92.
He carved his legacy by becoming the pioneering Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy the following year.
With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the nation's greatest ever player until the advent of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is grieving an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced the Italian Tennis Federation.
Beyond his pair of French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in both 1961 and 1964.
He holds a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and led his country to its inaugural title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."