Italian Tennis Great Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at the Age of 92

The world of tennis says goodbye to a genuine icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at ninety-two.

The player made history by emerging as the initial Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy in 1960.

With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the nation's finest player prior to the rise of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.

"Italian tennis is grieving an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the national federation.

Alongside his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964.

He boasts a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and led his country to its first 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..."