Farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, Italian tennis icon and Davis Cup world record holder
He triumphed twice at Roland Garros, in 1959 and 1960, years in which he was listed as world number 3. He won twice at the Internazionali d'Italia and won a total of 48 titles.
Italian tennis mourns one of its legends.Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian tennis player inducted into the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died at the age of 92.
He is still the all-time Davis Cup world record holder for matches played (164), matches won in singles (78-32) and doubles (42-12).
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He formed with Orlando Sirola the most successful pair ever in the event (34 wins in 42 matches) but he only won it as captain, in 1976. His greatest merit, he always declared, was having brought Italy to Chile, winning the match diplomatically and politically against those pushing for a boycott as a form of protest against the regime of General Augusto Pinochet.
A champion of the Dolce Vita made into a brand and identity by Federico Fellini, Pietrangeli was considered among the ten best tennis players in the world between 1957 and 1964, when the rankings were made by journalists.
He triumphed twice at Roland Garros, in 1959 and 1960, years in which he was listed as world number 3.
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