Nicola Pietrangeli

Nicola Pietrangeli

Country (sports)	Italy
Residence	Rome, Italy
Born	(1933-09-11) 11 September 1933 Tunis, Tunisia
Height
Turned pro	1968 (amateur tour from 1953)
Retired	1973
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF	1986 (member page)
Singles
Career record	{{#property:P564}}
Highest ranking	No. 3 (1959, Lance Tingay)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	QF (1957)
French Open	W (1959, 1960)
Wimbledon	SF (1960)
US Open	3R (1955, 1965)
Doubles
Career record	{{#property:P555}}
Grand Slam Doubles results
French Open	W (1959)
Wimbledon	F (1956)
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
French Open	W (1958)
Wimbledon	3R (1955, 1959)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	F (1960Ch, 1961Ch)
Medal record Representing Italy Mediterranean Games 1963 Naples Singles 1963 Naples Doubles

Nicola "Nicky" Pietrangeli (Italian pronunciation: [niˈkɔːla pjeˈtrandʒeli]; born 11 September 1933) is a former tennis player from Italy. He won two singles titles at the French Championships and is considered by many to be Italy's greatest-ever tennis champion.

Biography

Born 11 September 1933, in Tunis, Tunisia, Pietrangeli appeared in four men's singles finals at Roland Garros – winning the title in 1959 and 1960, and finishing runner-up in 1961 and 1964. He also won the Roland Garros men's doubles title in 1959 (together with Orlando Sirola), and the mixed doubles in 1958. At Wimbledon, Pietrangeli was a single semifinalist in 1960, when he lost to Rod Laver in 5 sets. He won the Italian Open in 1957 and 1961 and was ranked World No. 3 by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph in 1959 and 1960 and also by Ned Potter in 1961.

Pietrangeli represented Italy in the Davis Cup between 1954 and 1972. He played in a record 164 Davis Cup rubbers, winning a record 120. He was a player on the Italian teams which reached the Davis Cup final in 1960 and 1961. Both finals were played on grass courts in Australia, and the Italians were not able to overcome the strong Australian team which included Laver, Roy Emerson and Neale Fraser.

After retiring as a player, Pietrangeli became Italy's Davis Cup team captain and guided them to winning their first-ever Davis Cup in 1976.

Pietrangeli was inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1986. On his 73rd birthday, the old tennis stadium in Foro Italico of Rome was named in his honour; he is among the very few tennis players to have received such an honour while still living (others include Laver and Margaret Court).

Performance timeline

Tournament	Amateur career														Open career						Titles / Played	Career W–L	Career Win%
	'54	'55	'56	'57	'58	'59	'60	'61	'62	'63	'64	'65	'66	'67	'68	'69	'70	'71	'72	'73
Grand Slam tournaments																					2 / 44	95–40	70.37
Australian Open	A	A	A	QF	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	0 / 1	2–1	66.66
French Open	3R	3R	QF	1R	4R	W	W	F	QF	QF	F	4R	3R	3R	1R	1R	3R	3R	3R	1R	2 / 20	58–18	79.45
Wimbledon	2R	QF	4R	1R	4R	1R	SF	3R	3R	3R	2R	4R	1R	2R	1R	1R	1R	A	3R	1R	0 / 19	30–18	62.50
US Open	A	3R	A	A	A	A	A	A	1R	A	2R	3R	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	0 / 4	5–3	62.50

Grand Slam finals

Singles (2 titles, 2 runners-up)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Opponent in final	Score in final
Winner	1959	French Championships	Ian Vermaak	3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–1
Winner	1960	French Championships	Luis Ayala	3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 4–6, 6–3
Runner-up	1961	French Championships	Manuel Santana	6–4, 1–6, 6–3, 0–6, 2–6
Runner-up	1964	French Championships	Manuel Santana	3–6, 1–6, 6–4, 5–7

Doubles (1 title, 2 runners-up)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Partner	Opponents in final	Score in final
Runner-up	1955	French Championships	Orlando Sirola	Vic Seixas Tony Trabert	1–6, 6–4, 2–6, 4–6
Runner-up	1956	Wimbledon Championships	Orlando Sirola	Lew Hoad Ken Rosewall	5–7, 2–6, 1–6
Winner	1959	French Championships	Orlando Sirola	Roy Emerson Neale Fraser	6–3, 6–2, 14–12

Mixed doubles (1 title)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Partner	Opponents in final	Score in final
Winner	1958	French Championships	Shirley Bloomer	Lorraine Coghlan Bob Howe	8–6, 6–2

External links

• Nicola Pietrangeli at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
• Nicola Pietrangeli at the Davis Cup
• Nicola Pietrangeli at the Association of Tennis Professionals