Italian Tennis Participant Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at 92; Hundreds Pay Tribute in Rome

Before Jannik Sinner, there was Nicola Pietrangeli, who’s the one Italian to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. This week, the nation got here collectively to have fun one among its biggest sporting heroes after the tennis legend died at 92.

Hundreds of followers, former gamers, and representatives gathered in Rome for an emotional homage, displaying simply how deep an impression the tennis icon left on his beloved sport. The memorial came about on the celebrated Stadio Pietrangeli, which was named after him in 2006.

A Memorial Steeped in Tennis History

The public viewing and the transient service came about on the Pallacorda courtroom within the Foro Italico, a venue broadly admired world wide for its basic class.

Two of Pietrangeli’s tennis rackets and the Davis Cup trophy he secured for Italy in 1976 stood alongside his flower-beribboned coffin, symbolising the lifelong successes.

Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” introduced the emotional service to a detailed, encapsulating nearly completely the spirit of a person who had gone his personal manner in tennis and in life.

“Everything was exactly as he wanted-the place, the music,” stated his son Marco, whose father had put a lot thought into what can be applicable for his farewell.

Tributes Paid to Tennis Pioneer by Renowned Personalities

According to Tennis.com, the memorial was attended by an array of Italian sporting luminaries, together with previous and current presidents of the Italian National Olympic Committee and heads of the Italian tennis federation.

Prince Albert II of Monaco, a longtime buddy of Pietrangeli, was additionally in attendance on the non-public funeral held at Chiesa della Gran Madre di Dio. He known as the tennis legend “a splendid man,” a tribute to their friendship that lasted for a few years.

Former tennis champions Adriano Panatta and Tonino Zugarelli, who gained the 1976 Davis Cup with Pietrangeli, had been additionally current on the ceremony, as was Italian star Fabio Fognini, who simply retired. The lack of present Italian gamers, significantly Jannik Sinner, didn’t go unnoticed, nonetheless.

Remembering a Groundbreaking Champion

The achievements of Nicola Pietrangeli formed Italian tennis for generations. He was the primary Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, capturing the French Championships in each 1959 and 1960. In a powerful profession that spanned 66 Davis Cup ties from 1954 to 1972, he set information: a 78-32 singles efficiency and a dominant 42-12 file in doubles.