Ilie Nastase apologises and says Serena Williams comment was ‘spontaneous’

Press Association
Friday 28 April 2017 15.35 BST

Ilie Nastase has issued an apology for his conduct during Romania’s Fed Cup tie against Great Britain last weekend. The 70-year-old former world No1 has already been provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Federation after a series of incidents in Constanta.

Nastase was overheard making an apparently racist comment about Serena Williams’ unborn baby as well as asking the GB captain, Anne Keothavong, for her hotel room number. During the first day, Nastase then verbally abused the chair umpire Jaume Campistol and the referee Andreas Egli before calling Keothavong and the British No1, Johanna Konta, “fucking bitches” as he was sent from the court.

The two-time grand slam champion was escorted from the venue by security staff and banned for the rest of the tie. He defied that by briefly returning the following day, however, and had pointedly refused to apologise in the immediate aftermath, saying he had no regrets.

However, Nastase, who is waiting to find out his final sanction from the ITF, has now changed tack, albeit while still claiming the events have been exaggerated. In a statement on his Facebook page, which is unverified, Nastase said: “In the last few days, my name and the unfortunate situation at the Romania vs England (sic) Fed Cup match were present in both the national and international press. I do not wish to deny the negative reactions I’ve received, but I would like to add a few words of my own to this matter now, after a period of reflection.

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