Italian Tennis Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at 92

Italian sport says goodbye to a true pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at 92.

The player made history by becoming the first Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy in 1960.

With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the nation's greatest ever player until the advent of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.

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

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

He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its first title in 1976.

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