Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion and one of Italy’s greatest tennis icons, has died at the age of 92, the Italian tennis federation announced on Monday.
“Italian tennis is mourning an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted into the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died,” the FITP said in a statement.
Born in Tunis in 1933 to an Italian father and Russian mother, Pietrangeli was long regarded as Italy’s greatest tennis player until the rise of current world No. 2 Jannik Sinner.
Over an illustrious career, Pietrangeli won 44 singles titles, including back-to-back French Open victories in 1959 and 1960. He also reached two other Roland Garros finals, losing to Spain’s Manuel Santana in 1961 and 1964 and made the Wimbledon final in 1960, the same year he claimed his second French Open crown.
The organisers of the Italian Open, which Pietrangeli won twice, paid tribute to him, saying:
“It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis… Ciao, Nicola.”
Pietrangeli was also a cornerstone of Italy’s Davis Cup history, playing 164 matches for the national team and later captaining the squad to its first Davis Cup title in 1976.
AFP
