Italy's Tennis Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at the Age of 92

Italian sport is mourning a genuine legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at ninety-two.

Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the pioneering Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy the following year.

With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's greatest ever player prior to the rise of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.

"The sport in Italy is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the national federation.

In addition to his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in both 1961 and 1964.

He boasts 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, commented: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."