Illie Nastase was initially suspended following his outburst against Great Britain in the Fed Cup. (Source: AP)
Ilie Nastase has been banned from Fed Cup and Davis Cup competitions until 2019 because of his foul-mouthed comments and bad behavior as Romania’s Fed Cup captain during a home tie against Great Britain. Beyond the ban, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said the 1973 French Open champion will not be able to work in an official capacity for a further two years, until 2021. He was also fined $10,000 and has been allowed three weeks to make an appeal. His ban in regard to not being allowed accreditation will run between the period of, April 23, 2017 and December 31, 2018.
Nastase has been banned for the following reasons, revealed the ITF statement in this regard: “Mr Nastase made a comment about Serena Williams’s unborn child that was highly inappropriate and racially insensitive”‘; “Mr Nastase made advances of a sexual nature towards Anne Keothavong, the Captain of the Great Britain team”; “Mr Nastase made abusive and threatening comments to a member of the accredited press” and “Mr Nastase made abusive and threatening comments to the match officials and to members of the Great Britain team, refused to leave the court, and deliberately interfered with the opposing team”.
He will be barred from ITF events but the ban doesn’t apply to Grand Slam, ATP or WTA tournaments, which are not under the purview of the governing body’s jurisdiction.
He has previously acknowledged making mistakes and the shortcomings, but stressed “the cause I fight for is tennis, the sport I really love, which I cannot separate from my life.”
Former World No 1 Nastase was barred from the French Open and not invited to the Royal Box at Wimbledon following the controversial events.
