Italy's Court Great Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at Ninety-Two

The world of tennis is mourning a authentic legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at ninety-two.

Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the initial Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy in 1960.

With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's greatest ever player until the emergence of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.

"Italian tennis is mourning an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the Italian Tennis 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, securing victories in 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: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."