Azzurri Court Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at the Age of 92

Italian sport says goodbye to a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at the age of 92.

Pietrangeli etched his name by emerging as the first Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy in 1960.

With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's most accomplished player until the advent of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.

"Italian tennis is in mourning for an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the Italian Tennis Federation.

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

He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, securing victories in 120 of them, and guided his country to its inaugural title in 1976.

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