Azzurri Tennis Great Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at Ninety-Two

Italian sport mourns a authentic pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92.

The player made history by emerging as the initial Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, securing his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy the following year.

With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the nation's greatest ever player until the rise of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.

"The sport in Italy is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced the Italian Tennis Federation.

In addition to his two French Open successes, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.

He holds a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and led his country to its inaugural title in 1976.

Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, commented: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."