Azzurri Court Great Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at 92

Italian sport mourns a true icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at 92.

Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the initial Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, earning his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy a year later.

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

"Italian tennis is mourning an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced the Italian Tennis Federation.

Beyond his two French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also was the finalist 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 maiden title in 1976.

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