Romanian tennis legend Ilie Nastase banned from attending Roland Garros, Wimbledon

Romanian Ilie Nastase, one of the world's top players of the 1970s, will not be accredited for this year’s tournament at Roland Garros, the event organizers announced in a Twitter post. “Following the decision of his suspension by the @ITF_Tennis, Mr. Ilie Nastase won’t be accredited for #RG17,” reads the post of the official Roland Garros Twitter. The decision came just a few days after the announcement that Nastase would not receive his traditional invitation to Wimbledon's royal box, reports The Independent. Both announcements were made following the International Tennis Federation’s decision to provisionally suspend Ilie Nastase after his negative behavior at the Romania – Great Britain match in Constanta, organized at the end of April. Nastase, who was the captain of the Romanian Fed Cup team, insulted both British captain Anne Keothavong and player Johanna Konta as well as the umpire and the ITF referee during one of the matches. He was escorted off the court. Previously, Ilie Nastase also made a controversial comment about Serena Williams’ unborn child. The Romanian tennis legend then apologized and explained his reactions in a Facebook post. The 2017 Roland Garros tournament will be organized between May 22 and June 11. Ilie Nastase won this tournament in 1973 and played another final in 1971. This year’s Wimbledon will be organized from July 3 to July 16. Nastase also played two finals at Wimbledon in 1972 and 1976. Serena Williams responds to Romanian tennis legend’s “racist comments” Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com