Ilie Nastase apologizes

Almost a week after the scandal during the Fed Cup match between Romania and the UK, former tennis legend Ilie Nastase has apologized in a post on Facebook, claiming on the other hand that the media has overreacted.

In the past days, my name and the unpleasant situation after the match between Romania and the UK in Fed Cup were present in the international media. I don’t want to challenge the negative reactions, but I would like to say a few words after the latest period of reflection, Nastase wrote.

He recollects the first steps in tennis when he was 5, and tennis has become a sport and a profession for him. Now that he is 70, he feels tennis is going away from him.

The past days were difficult, he wrote. My words during the Fed Cup match have stirred controversies and anger among the public and in tennis. I assure you that behind the words there was only the wish to defend the Romanian team and the Romanian tennis, he added.

Ilie Nastase wrote that everything has been exaggerated by all the parties. He claims Johanna Konta did not have the right to the talk to the chair umpire. He asked for explanations and was sent out of the court, and then the umpire suspended the match. I don’t understand the reason for suspending the match and according to which article of the regulation, he wrote.

The same thing happened with Serena: it was exaggerated by the press. I respect Serena. She is one of the greatest players in the world and I know work stands behind her results. I found out she is pregnant during the press conference, when somebody asked me about this. My reaction was spontaneous, Ilie Nastase claimed.

I know nothing can justify my words – the tension during the match, nor the non-conformist attitude I am known for, or the unfortunate mounting of the situation. However, my life remains dedicated to tennis and to the public, and I ask you to accept, as much as you can, my excuses, Nastase’s post concluded.