Tennis star & style icon who won Wimbledon three times dies aged 89 as players lead tributes to legend of the game

ITALIAN tennis star and style icon who won Wimbledon three times Lea Pericoli has died aged 89.

The 27-time national champion was a fashion icon in her sporting career and later became a TV presenter and journalist.

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Pericoli is said to have revolutionised on-court fashion in the 1950s and 60s – during the conservative era – sporting short dresses and skirts with feathers and frills on.

Italy’s current top player Jannik Sinner shared a photo of him with Pericoli on Instagram, captioning: “A great lady and legend of Italian tennis.

“A special moment I’ll remember forever.”