Ilie Nastase, the former world No 1, has been banned and fined by the International Tennis Federation for making “advances of a sexual nature” towards Anne Keothavong, the Great Britain captain, during April’s Fed Cup tie in Bucharest.
The 71-year-old was also found guilty of making “abusive and threatening comments” to members of the Britain team and match officials, as well as “a comment about Serena Williams’s unborn child that was highly inappropriate and racially insensitive”.
Nastase, who was found to have breached five welfare policy regulations, has been ordered to pay a $10,000 (about £7,700) penalty and banned from working in an official capacity in the sport until December 2020.
The ITF report makes for damning reading, particularly as Nastase does not dispute the facts under investigation, opting to defend himself on grounds of cultural differences and misinterpretation.
The Romanian was said to have asked Keothavong for her room number in the middle of a photoshoot. Abuse shouted by Nastase towards Keothavong and Johanna Konta during the match prompted the British No 1 to leave the court in tears.
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In addition, the two-times grand-slam champion was abusive and threatening towards a British journalist, Eleanor Crooks, of Press Association.
The ITF provisionally suspended Nastase after his outbursts and he sought to dilute the opprobrium aimed at him by claiming cultural differences and a resulting overreaction, but the ITF was unmoved.
The ITF verdict states: “On 21 April 2017 during a press conference after the official draw, while a member of the Romanian team was answering a question about Serena Williams’ pregnancy, Mr Nastase made a comment in Romanian to another Romanian team member about Ms Williams’s unborn child, which has been translated as: ‘Let’s see what colour it is. Chocolate with milk?’ ”
Nastase apologised via Facebook, saying that Williams was “one of the greatest players of all times” and that his comment had been “intended as a joke” and “misinterpreted.” However, the ITF ruled there was no excuse for such language, stating in its judgement: “The ITF argues that Mr Nastase’s comment was unethical, unprofessional, unacceptable, offensive, derogatory, and may be interpreted as racist. The important element of such comments is the words used and how they may be interpreted and affect the recipient.
“Mr Nastase’s cultural background does not excuse his comment. He has been in the public eye for most (if not all) of his adult life and so should have a broader understanding of culture.”
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Once Crooks had reported the comments about Williams, Nastase entered the press room and, as detailed in the ITF report, “repeatedly called Ms Crooks ‘stupid’ and asked her why his comments about Ms Williams’s unborn baby (which Ms Crooks had reported) were racist. Mr Nastase also stated that the English media were ‘out to get him.’ ”
In the second set of the singles match between Konta and Sorana Cirstea, Nastase swore at the umpire, then accused him of being biased before being ordered to leave the court. Instead Nastase swore at the GB team and was eventually escorted from the arena. The report also details how Nastase put his arm around Keothavong at the official Fed Cup dinner and asked her for her room number. “Mrs Keothavong responded to Mr Nastase’s request with words to the effect that she was married, to which Mr Nastase replied ‘so am I, four times’.”
Nastase repeated his request to the former British No 1 at another photoshoot and said, within earshot of the media, that “we keep being attracted.”
In addition to being banned from acting in an official capacity until December 2020, he will not be given accreditation to any ITF event until 2018.
The grand-slam events do not fall under ITF jurisdiction but he was not invited to the Royal Box at Wimbledon this summer while his case was under review. It is highly unlikely the All England Club’s stance will change for next year’s championships.
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The LTA’s legal team will assess its response to the judgment next week and Nastase has 21 days in which to make an appeal. It is now up the US Open, which begins on August 28, to decide if it also tells the man who won the US title in 1972 he is unwelcome.
While suspended Nastase said he would quit tennis if a ban was upheld and wondered what would happen to his statue at Madame Tussaud’s in London. However, there has not been a wax figure of him at the attraction for around 20 years.