Italian Tennis Great Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at Ninety-Two

Italian sport is mourning a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, has died at the age of 92.

The player made history by emerging as the pioneering Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, earning his maiden triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy the following year.

With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's finest player until the emergence of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.

"Italian tennis is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the Italian Tennis Federation.

Beyond his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.

He holds a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its maiden title in 1976.

Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, said: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."