Serena Williams took to Instagram to blast Ilie Nastase for his “racist” and “sexist” comments about her and her unborn baby during the Fed Cup tie between Romania and Britain at the weekend. The World No 1, who is pregnant with her first child, quoted Maya Angelou’s iconic poem “Still I Rise” as she slammed the Romanian captain and praised the International Tennis Federation for their action.
“It disappoints me to know we live in a society where people like Ilie Nastase can make such racist comments towards myself and unborn child, and sexist comments against my peers,” said the 23-time Grand Slam winner.
Nastase was overheard by a journalist commenting on Williams’s unborn child — who will be mixed race as her fiancé is white — on Friday, saying, “Let’s see what colour it has. Chocolate with milk?”
“You may shoot me with your words... you may try to kill me with your hatefulness, but still like air, I rise,” continued the 35-year-old Williams, a four-time Olympic gold medallist.
“I humbly thank the ITF for any consideration given to all the facts in this case. They will have my full support,” she added.
Earlier, the reporting of the remark had earlier prompted the 70-year-old former world number one on Saturday to burst into the press centre at Constanta and lambast the Press Association’s tennis correspondent for what she claimed was two to three minutes.
“Why did you write that? You’re stupid, you’re stupid,” Nastase had said to her.
Britain’s Press Association said his tirade has also been passed on to the ITF.
“The ITF does not tolerate discriminatory and offensive language and behaviour of any kind,” the governing body for tennis said in a statement to AFP. “We are aware of alleged comments made by Romanian captain Ilie Nastase and have begun an immediate investigation so that we have the full facts of the situation before taking further and appropriate action.”
Nastase, who won two Grand Slam titles in the 1972 US Open and 1973 French Open, has previous history with Williams. In late March, he made unsubstantiated allegations about her doping record.
Fed Cup ban
Nastase, who had a reputation as a playboy during and after his playing career, was at the centre of controversy throughout the weekend. He was first suspended by the ITF over his foul-mouthed and abusive behaviour during the tie, from which he was eventually ejected.
On Friday, he was also heard reportedly propositioning the married and pregnant British captain Anne Keothavong. On Saturday, the 70-year-old former world number one and two-time Grand Slam winner was kicked out of the tie after swearing at the umpire, Keothavong and British number one player Johanna Konta— calling the latter two “f***ing b**ches”.
Despite being kicked out of the Fed Cup tie, Nastase had blatantly ignored the ban on Sunday and walked into the VIP area at the venue in Constanta, before being asked to leave by the Romanian Tennis Federation president.
His bizarre behaviour did not stop there, though, as Keothavong revealed he had sent her flowers on Sunday in a peace-making gesture.