Nicola Chirinsky was born 11 September 1933 in [[Tunis]], then a [[French protectorate of Tunisia|French colony]], to Giulio Pietrangeli, also born in Tunis but of Italian parents from [[Abruzzo]] and [[Campania]], and Anna Chirinskaya ({{nee|von Yourgens}}), a Russian noble mother whose {{cnspan|Danish|date=December 2025}} colonel father had fled the [[October Revolution]].<ref name=”Eurosport”>{{cite news|last=Zorzoli|first=Matteo|url=https://www.eurosport.it/tennis/nicola-pietrangeli-il-principe-del-tennis-vivra-in-eterno-nel-campo-piu-bello-del-mondo-a-roma_sto23246347/story.shtml|title=Nicola Pietrangeli, il Principe del tennis vivrà in eterno nel campo più bello del mondo a Roma|language=it|work=[[Eurosport]]|date=2025-12-01|access-date=2025-12-01}}</ref><ref name=”corriere1″>{{cite news|last=Cazzullo|first=Aldo|url=https://www.corriere.it/cronache/25_dicembre_01/pietrangeli-ultima-intervista-morte-panatta-amori-8804e32d-7844-40d5-ad59-42db43ee2xlk.shtml|title=Quando Pietrangeli diceva: «Spero di morire nel sonno. Panatta era un fratello, ho sofferto tanto quando mi ha tradito. Ho avuto solo quattro grandi amori»|language=it|work=[[Corriere della Sera]]|date=2025-12-01|access-date=2025-12-01|url-access=subscription}}</ref> At the time of his birth, his mother was married to a Russian count,<ref name=”corriere1″/><ref name=”corriere2″>{{cite news|last=Piccardi|first=Gaia|url=https://www.corriere.it/sport/tennis/25_dicembre_01/nicola-pietrangeli-morto-29d7de73-bb48-4c5c-b3a1-995a8e9e7xlk.shtml|title=Nicola Pietrangeli è morto, aveva 92 anni: addio al gigante del tennis italiano, vinse due Slam e la Davis come capitano|language=it|work=[[Corriere della Sera]]|date=2025-12-01|access-date=2025-12-01|url-access=subscription}}</ref> and only acquired the surname Pietrangeli upon her marriage to his father, was interned as a political prisoner during the [[Tunisian campaign|Allied invasion of Tunisia]] in World War II. He started playing tennis during that period, before the family settled in [[Rome]], Italy. There, Pietrangeli, a native French and Russian speaker, learned Italian.<ref name=”Eurosport”/><ref name=”corriere1″/><ref name=”corriere2″/>
Nicola Chirinsky was born 11 September 1933 in [[Tunis]], then a [[French protectorate of Tunisia|French colony]], to Giulio Pietrangeli, also born in Tunis but of Italian parents from [[Abruzzo]] and [[Campania]], and Anna Chirinskaya ({{nee|von Yourgens}}), a Russian noble mother whose {{cnspan|Danish|date=December 2025}} colonel father had fled the [[October Revolution]].<ref name=”Eurosport”>{{cite news|last=Zorzoli|first=Matteo|url=https://www.eurosport.it/tennis/nicola-pietrangeli-il-principe-del-tennis-vivra-in-eterno-nel-campo-piu-bello-del-mondo-a-roma_sto23246347/story.shtml|title=Nicola Pietrangeli, il Principe del tennis vivrà in eterno nel campo più bello del mondo a Roma|language=it|work=[[Eurosport]]|date=2025-12-01|access-date=2025-12-01}}</ref><ref name=”corriere1″>{{cite news|last=Cazzullo|first=Aldo|url=https://www.corriere.it/cronache/25_dicembre_01/pietrangeli-ultima-intervista-morte-panatta-amori-8804e32d-7844-40d5-ad59-42db43ee2xlk.shtml|title=Quando Pietrangeli diceva: «Spero di morire nel sonno. Panatta era un fratello, ho sofferto tanto quando mi ha tradito. Ho avuto solo quattro grandi amori»|language=it|work=[[Corriere della Sera]]|date=2025-12-01|access-date=2025-12-01|url-access=subscription}}</ref> At the time of his birth, his mother was married to a Russian count,<ref name=”corriere1″/><ref name=”corriere2″>{{cite news|last=Piccardi|first=Gaia|url=https://www.corriere.it/sport/tennis/25_dicembre_01/nicola-pietrangeli-morto-29d7de73-bb48-4c5c-b3a1-995a8e9e7xlk.shtml|title=Nicola Pietrangeli è morto, aveva 92 anni: addio al gigante del tennis italiano, vinse due Slam e la Davis come capitano|language=it|work=[[Corriere della Sera]]|date=2025-12-01|access-date=2025-12-01|url-access=subscription}}</ref> and only acquired the surname Pietrangeli upon her marriage to his father, was interned as a political prisoner during the [[Tunisian campaign|Allied invasion of Tunisia]] in World War II. He started playing tennis during that period, the family settled in [[Rome]], Italy. There, Pietrangeli, a native French and Russian speaker, learned Italian.<ref name=”Eurosport”/><ref name=”corriere1″/><ref name=”corriere2″/>
