Rafael Nadal among tennis stars to pay tribute after Italian legend passes away

Shahida Jacobs
Pictured: Nicola Pietrangeli with inset of Rafael Nadal
Nicola Pietrangeli with Rafael Nadal inset

The tennis world is in mourning after Nicola Pietrangeli, one of Italy’s greatest tennis players of all time, passed away at the age of 92.

Pietrangeli was one of the first true Italian tennis icons as he became his country’s first Grand Slam winner when he won the 1959 French Championships and then successfully defended his title at Roland Garros the following year.

He laid the foundations for Adriano Panatta, who would go on to win the 1976 French Open, and modern-day star Jannik Sinner, who has won four Grand Slams at the age of 24 and peaked at No 1 in the ATP Rankings.

22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal was one of the first tennis stars to take to social media to pay tribute to the Pietrangeli, who twice handed him the French Open crown.

The first was in 2010 when he defeated Robin Soderling in straight sets to win a fifth French Open trophy and the second was 10 years later when he beat Novak Djokovic in four sets in the final in Paris to win a record-extending 13th title.

“I have just learned of the sad news of the departure of a great of Italian and world tennis,” the Spaniard wrote.

“My deepest condolences to his entire family, his son Filippo, and the entire Italian tennis family. DEP Nicola.”

Angelo Binaghi, president of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation, penned a heartfelt tribute to his friend.

“Today Italian tennis loses its greatest symbol, and I lose a friend,” he wrote.

“Nicola Pietrangeli wasn’t just a champion: he was the first to teach us what it meant to truly win, on and off the court. He was the starting point for everything our tennis has become. With him, we learned that we too could compete with the world, that dreaming big was no longer a gamble.

When we talk about Nicola, we immediately think of records, Davis Cups, titles, and triumphs that will forever remain in our history. But the truth is that Nicola was much more.

“It was a way of being. With his cutting wit, his free spirit, his inexhaustible desire to live and joke, he managed to make tennis something human, authentic, and profoundly Italian. Talking to him was always a pleasure and a surprise: you could leave a conversation laughing out loud or with a reflection that stayed with you for days.”

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He added: “We will miss his voice, we will miss his smile, his ability to always say what he thought, without fear or filters.

“Today we say goodbye to a monument to our sport, but also to a true friend. One of those who can tell you things to your face, who can make you angry and then laugh a second later. And that, in today’s world, is worth more than a thousand trophies.”

Former player and Italy’s current Davis Cup captain Philip Volandri said: “From a witty quip to a more serious piece of advice, he always had the right way to make you reflect and remind you what it means to represent Italy. He was free, direct, authentic: that’s why he was unique.

“He paved the way for all of us. His victories, his personality, and his way of experiencing tennis allowed Italy to believe it could compete at the highest levels. We grew up with his stories, with his overwhelming passion, with his ability to make us feel part of a greater story.

“We lose a symbol and a master, but his spirit will remain with us, in every Davis Cup and in every boy who steps onto the court wearing the Italian national team.”

Pietrangeli’s Davis Cup Legacy

Besides his two Grand Slams, Pietrangeli also played a massive role in the Davis Cup for Italy as he played in a record 164 Davis Cup matches, winning a record 120.

Although he didn’t win the Davis Cup as a player, he was team captain when Italyl won their first-ever Davis Cup title in 1976.

It would take Italy another 47 years to win a second Davis Cup title in 2023 and they have since gone on to win three in a row as they successfully defended their crown in 2024 and 2025.

Pietrangeli The Player

Born in Tunis, Tunisia, on September 11, 1933, Pietrangeli started his career in 1953 but the bulk of his career was played as an amateur as the sport only turned professional in 1968.

The Italian won 44 singles titles and reached a high of No 3 in 1959, but that was before the introduction of the official rankings.

Pietrangeli first tasted Grand Slam success in 1958 when he won the French Championship mixed doubles alongside Great Britain’s Shirley Bloomer and the following year he won the “double” as he lifted the singles title and the men’s doubles title, partnering Orlando Sirola.

Besides winning two French Championship singles titles, he also finished runner-up in 1961 and 1964 as he lost on both occasions against Spaniard Manuel Santana.

His only success at Grand Slams other than Roland Garros was at Wimbledon in 1960 when he reached the semi-final before losing against Rod Laver.

The tennis icon retired in 1973 and in 1986 he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

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