Nicola Pietrangeli

Nicola Pietrangeli was born on September 11, 1933, in Tunis. His childhood was marked by a deep love for sports and a natural talent for tennis. In 1959, Nicola made history by winning his first title at Roland Garros, a triumph he repeated the following year, in 1960, becoming the first and only Italian to win the prestigious Parisian tournament.

Beyond his two prestigious Roland Garros titles, Pietrangeli won numerous national and international tournaments, collecting a total of 22 Italian national titles, seven of which in singles. His dominance on court also extended to the 1963 Mediterranean Games, where he won the gold medal in singles.

Nicola Pietrangeli was renowned for his elegant and sophisticated playing style. His one-handed backhand is considered one of the most beautiful in tennis history. He favored clay courts.

• First Italian tennis player inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1986
• Holder of the world record for most Davis Cup match wins (120 out of 164 matches)
• Inducted into the Italian Sport Walk of Fame in 2015
• Awarded the "Golden Crab" as Italy's most elegant athlete