Italian Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at the Age of 92

Italian sport says goodbye to a authentic legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, has died at ninety-two.

Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the initial Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy the following year.

With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's greatest ever player prior to the advent of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.

"The sport in Italy is mourning an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the national federation.

In addition to his pair of French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964.

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

Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, commented: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."