Nicola "Nicky" Pietrangeli (Italian pronunciation: [niˈkɔːla pjeˈtrandʒeli]; born 11 September 1933) is an Italian former tennis player. He won two singles titles at the French Championships and is considered by many to be one of Italy's greatest tennis champions.[3]
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| Country (sports) |  Italy | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residence | Rome, Italy | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 11 September 1933 Tunis, Tunisia | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 1968 (amateur from 1953) | ||||||||||||||
| Retired | 1973 | ||||||||||||||
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) | ||||||||||||||
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1986 (member page) | ||||||||||||||
| Singles | |||||||||||||||
| Career record | 687–278 (71.4%) [1] | ||||||||||||||
| Career titles | 44 | ||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 3 (1959, Lance Tingay)[2] | ||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam singles results | |||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | QF (1957) | ||||||||||||||
| French Open | W (1959, 1960) | ||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | SF (1960) | ||||||||||||||
| US Open | 3R (1955, 1965) | ||||||||||||||
| Doubles | |||||||||||||||
| Career record | 21–20 | ||||||||||||||
| Career titles | 8 | ||||||||||||||
| 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
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Biography
editNicola Chirinsky Pietrangeli was born 11 September 1933, in Tunis, then a French colony, to a father also born in Tunis but of Italian parents, and to a Russian mother whose father was Danish. Pietrangeli made his international debut at the 1952 Italian Open, losing in fours sets to Jacques Peten.[4] He 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.[2][5]
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.[6]
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.[7]
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). He also played a supporting role in the movie There Was a Castle with Forty Dogs in 1990.
Personal life
editHe had a relationship with the Italian journalist Licia Colò, 30 years younger than him.[8] He's an Eastern Orthodox Christian.[9]
Grand Slam finals
editSingles (2 titles, 2 runners-up)
edit| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1959 | French Championships | Clay |  Ian Vermaak |
3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–1 |
| Win | 1960 | French Championships | Clay |  Luis Ayala |
3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 4–6, 6–3 |
| Loss | 1961 | French Championships | Clay |  Manuel Santana |
6–4, 1–6, 6–3, 0–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 1964 | French Championships | Clay | Manuel Santana |
3–6, 1–6, 6–4, 5–7 |
Doubles (1 title, 2 runners-up)
edit| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1955 | French Championships | Clay | Orlando Sirola |
 Vic Seixas Tony Trabert |
1–6, 6–4, 2–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1956 | Wimbledon Championships | Grass | Orlando Sirola |
 Lew Hoad Ken Rosewall |
5–7, 2–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 1959 | French Championships | Clay | Orlando Sirola |
Roy Emerson Neale Fraser |
6–3, 6–2, 14–12 |
Mixed doubles (1 title)
edit| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1958 | French Championships | Clay |  Shirley Bloomer |
Lorraine Coghlan Bob Howe |
8–6, 6–2 |
Performance timeline
edit| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | Amateur career | Open career | Career SR | 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | 67% |
| 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% |
| 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 | 63% |
| 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 | 63% |
| Career | 2 / 44 | 95–40 | 70% | ||||||||||||||||||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Garcia, Gabriel. "Nicola Pietrangeli: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Madrid: Tennismem SL. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
- ^ a b United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 427.
- ^ "Le leggende del tennis italiano Panatta e Pietrangeli ospiti a "Che tempo che fa"". redcarpet.group (in Italian). 13 February 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- ^ Baccini, Giancarlo; Bottazzi, Luca; Carotenuto, Angelo; Castaldo, Dario; Marianantoni, Luca; Martucci, Vincenzo; Mastroluca, Alessandro; Perrone, Roberto; Valesio, Piero (2020). Gladiatori della terra rossa: Roma e il grande tennis: storia degli internazionali d'Italia (in Italian). Preface by Nicola Pietrangeli. Florence–Milan: Giunti. p. 10. ISBN 978-88-09-90708-9. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
Fui sorteggiato con un belga, Jacques Peten. Aveva 40 anni ed ero sicuro di vincere. Persi in 4 set, una batosta che non ho mai dimenticato.
- ^ "Hard Won Major U.S. Title", The Milwaukee Sentinel, 25 December 1961.
- ^ "Nicola Pietrangeli, re di Francia nel 1959". tenniscircus.com (in Italian). 20 May 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- ^ "LA FOTO-STORY DI PIETRANGELI, L'AZZURRO DELLE FINALI DAVIS". supertennis.tv (in Italian). 23 December 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- ^ "Licia Colò, parla l'ex fidanzato: "Non so ancora perché ci siamo lasciati"". rumors.it (in Italian). 7 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- ^ Giordano, Lucio (8 July 2022). "Su Dio sono pieno di dubbi e mi vergogno di invocarLo solo quando ho bisogno". Dipiù (in Italian). No. 27. pp. 86–89.
