Captain of the historic Davis Cup team that won in 1976, his two triumphs at Roland Garros were the most important of the 48 tournaments he won in his career. The funeral chapel will be on the “Pietrangeli” court at the Foro Italico. CONI has ordered a minute’s silence at all sporting events.
Farewell to a tennis legend. Italian sport mourns the death of Nicola Pietrangeli, 92, the first Italian to win a Grand Slam. He won two, Roland Garros in 1959 and 1960, and held the Italian record for almost 65 years before being surpassed on January 26 by Sinner, who has now won three: “Records are made to be broken sooner or later,” he commented in his last interview with Sports Prediction dello Sport. He was the captain of Italy’s first Davis Cup victory in 1976. The last few months had not been easy for the former Italian champion, who had to endure the death of his son Giorgio (who was also a surfing champion) in July at the age of 59 after a long illness. Pietrangeli received the news at the Policlinico Gemelli hospital, where he was being treated for tests. The bereavement further aggravated his health situation. The funeral chapel for Nicola Pietrangeli will be set up on Pietrangeli on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The funeral will be held at 3 p.m. in Ponte Milvio. This was announced by the family of the former tennis champion. CONI has ordered a minute’s silence at all sporting events taking place today and in the coming days.
Born in Tunis on September 11, 1933, to an Italian father and a mother of Russian origin, Pietrangeli arrived in Rome after his family was expelled from Tunisia. His two victories in Paris—where he also reached the final in 1961 and 1964 – were the pinnacle of a triumphant career, with 48 tournaments won, including twice the Italian Open, in 1957 and 1961, and three times Monte Carlo, in 1961, 1967, and 1968. From 1959 to 1961, he was also ranked number 3 in the world, according to the rankings compiled by journalists before the computer era. He was also a great doubles player alongside Orlando Sirola: together they won Roland Garros in 1959. In Davis Cup, he holds the record for matches played (164) and won (120), but it was as non-playing captain that he linked his name to Italy’s first major international success, the 4-1 victory of the Azzurri Musketeers in Santiago, Chile, against the hosts.
“The passing of Nicola Pietrangeli deeply saddens the entire Italian sporting world. With him, we lose not only an extraordinary champion, but an icon, an eternal symbol of his discipline. Pietrangeli embodied Italian tennis: his talent, his charisma, and his victories have indelibly marked entire generations.” This is how CONI president Luciano Buonfiglio remembers him. “With his successes, he brought Italy to the international forefront, paving the way for a tradition that continues to shine today thanks to the path he laid out.” “It is difficult to reconcile the greatness of the sportsman with the simplicity of the man,” recalls Minister of Sport Abodi, “in some ways a revolutionary who wrote the history of Italian tennis. That was Nicola, but above all he leaves us a friend, a sincere person who fought hard and who gives us an immense legacy, not only in sport.” “Today we lose a figure who made sporting history with extraordinary talent and passion. Nicola Pietrangeli was a symbol of Italian tennis,” writes Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Corrado Barazzutti was moved: “Nicola was a part of my life, we spent a very long time together. When I was young, he was a role model, an example, my idol. I watched him play in the Davis Cup, and that’s what inspired me. Then I first had him as an opponent because we played against each other, then as a Davis Cup teammate and captain. We worked together for twenty years in the federation, so he was like family.” The captain of the Billie Jean King Cup was also touched. Tatiana Garbin also spoke about him: “Nicola was much more than a great champion to me. He was a mainstay of our tennis, a presence you always felt there.” Volandri echoed her sentiments: “We have lost a symbol and a mentor, but his spirit will remain with us, in every Davis Cup and in every young player who takes to the court wearing the blue jersey.” Lorenzo Musetti also paid tribute to him in an Instagram story. “Dear Nick, a huge piece of our history is leaving us. This photo in Monte Carlo means everything to me: your example, your irony, your light. You taught everyone what it really means to win,” writes Fabio Fognini on Instagram. One of the first to remember Pietrangeli is former Spanish champion Rafa Nadal, who writes, “I have just heard the sad news of the passing of a great figure in Italian and world tennis. My deepest condolences to his entire family, his son Filippo, and the entire Italian tennis family. RIP Nicola.“ Several soccer clubs, such as Napoli, Roma, and Lazio, of which he was a fan, also remembered him on X. Sport e Salute remembered him thus: ”Nicola Pietrangeli represented a vision: one in which talent becomes culture, discipline becomes style, history becomes future. He taught everyone what it means to represent Italy with pride. We have not only lost a champion, but also a guardian of the beauty, elegance, and passion that Italian tennis has been able to express thanks to him.”

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