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Ilie Năstase

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Ilie Năstase
Ilie Năstase at the 2009 US Open
Country (sports) Romania
ResidenceConstanța
Born (1946-07-19) 19 July 1946 (age 78)
Bucharest, Romania
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Turned pro1969 (amateur tour from 1966)
Retired1985
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize money$2,076,761
Int. Tennis HoF1991 (member page)
Singles
Career record1144–490 in pre Open-Era & Open Era[1]
Career titles64
(9th in the Open Era)
Highest rankingNo. 1 (23 August 1973)[2]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open1R (1981)
French OpenW (1973)
WimbledonF (1972, 1976)
US OpenW (1972)
Other tournaments
Tour FinalsW (1971, 1972, 1973, 1975)
WCT FinalsQF (1974, 1977, 1978)
Doubles
Career record512–218 (ATP)
Career titles45 (ATP)
Highest rankingNo. 9 (1 March 1976)[2]
Grand Slam doubles results
French OpenW (1970)
WimbledonW (1973)
US OpenW (1975)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
WimbledonW (1970, 1972)
US OpenF (1972)
Team competitions
Davis CupF (1969Ch, 1971Ch, 1972)
Senator of Romania
In office
14 June 2014 – 19 December 2016
Personal details
Political partySocial Democracy Party of Romania (1995–1997)
Conservative Party (2014–2015)
National Union for the Progress of Romania (2015–2016)

Ilie Theodoriu Năstase (Romanian pronunciation: [iˈli.e nəsˈtase] ⓘ; born 19 July 1946)[3] is a Romanian former world No. 1 tennis player. He held the top singles spot from 23 August 1973 to 2 June 1974, and was the first man to hold the position on the computerized ATP rankings. Năstase is one of the 10 players in history who have won over 100 total ATP titles, with 64 in singles and 45 in doubles.[2] Năstase won seven major titles: two in singles, three in men's doubles and two in mixed doubles. He also won four Masters Grand Prix year-end championship titles. He was the first professional sports figure to sign an endorsement contract with Nike, doing so in 1972.[4] Năstase wrote several novels in French in the 1980s, and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991.[5][6]

Career

[edit]
Playing a Davis Cup match against the Netherlands in The Hague (1973)
2004 Romanian stamp

At the beginning of his career in 1966, Năstase traveled around the world competing with Ion Țiriac. They represented Romania in the Davis Cup competition, being runners up in 1969, 1971, and 1972. In singles, Năstase won his first tournament at Cannes on 16 April 1967. His first victories against top players happened in 1969 in Stockholm, where he defeated Tony Roche and Stan Smith. Năstase became one of the best players in 1970, with many experts ranking him as the sixth-best player in the world at that time, behind the Australians Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, John Newcombe, and Tony Roche and the American Arthur Ashe. Năstase's high ranking resulted from his success at the Italian Open in Rome and at the U.S. Indoor Open in Salisbury, Maryland. With Tiriac, Năstase won the men's doubles title at the French Open. In 1971, Năstase was the runner-up at the French Open, where he lost the final in four sets to Jan Kodeš. In December, Năstase won his first Masters Grand Prix title, finishing in front of Stan Smith in a round robin competition.

In 1972, he became the No. 2 in the world, owing to his winning the US Open in a five-set final over Ashe. This tournament was the only event of the year in which all the best players participated. Two months before, at Wimbledon, Năstase narrowly lost to Stan Smith in an epic[7] five-set final, one of the more exciting championship matches.[8] In the Davis Cup, Năstase was undefeated in singles until losing to Stan Smith in the final played on clay in his native Bucharest. In December at the year-end tour finals, Năstase defeated Smith, winning his second consecutive Masters Grand Prix title.

In 1973, Năstase won 17 tournaments, including the French Open, a doubles title at Wimbledon, and a third Masters title. He was the world No. 1 in the ATP rankings that year. He also won the 'Martini and Rossi' Award, voted for by a panel of journalists[9] and was ranked No. 1 by an international poll of 17 tennis writers,[10] Tennis Magazine (U.S.),[11] Bud Collins,[12] Rino Tommasi[13] and Rex Bellamy.[14] In the Davis Cup, he won seven of eight singles rubbers. In matches against the other top players, Năstase was 1–0 against Newcombe and 1–1 against Smith. The Romanian won the French Open without dropping a set (a feat repeated by Björn Borg in 1978 and 1980 and by Rafael Nadal in 2008, 2010, 2017 and 2020), and he won the French Open (clay), Rome (clay) and Queen's Club (grass) in succession. Năstase was seeded No. 2 for Wimbledon, behind the defending champion Stan Smith. When the newly formed ATP withdrew its players from the tournament following the suspension by the ITF of Yugoslav Nikola Pilić, only three ATP players (Năstase, Roger Taylor and Ray Keldie) defied the boycott and were fined by the ATP's disciplinary committee. Năstase was promoted to No. 1 seed for the players in the subsequently weakened field and publicly stated his support for the ATP action but insisted that as a serving captain, he was under orders from the Romanian army and government to compete and thus could not boycott the tournament. Some contemporary press speculation and later biographies have suggested Năstase contrived to lose his fourth-round match to American Sandy Mayer, but to have lost any earlier to a considerably less able player would have been too obvious.[15][16] Năstase never has commented publicly on this speculation.

In 1974, he was the only player to qualify for both the WCT Finals and the Masters Grand Prix finals. Năstase played well in the Masters, in particular against Newcombe in the semifinals. (Năstase finished his career with a 4–1 record versus Newcombe, losing only their first match in 1969.) The Romanian, however, lost the final to Guillermo Vilas in five sets.

For the fifth consecutive year, Năstase reached the Masters Grand Prix final in 1975, where he defeated Björn Borg in three straight sets.

During the first half of 1976, Năstase won four tournaments (Atlanta WCT, Avis Challenge Cup WCT, US Open Indoor, and La Costa), and head-to-head, he led Connors 2–1, Vilas 1–0, Ashe 1–0, and Borg 2–0. Năstase did not enter the Australian Open, which was again avoided by most of the top players. Năstase was prevented from entering the French Open because he participated in World Team Tennis. In the second half of the year, third-seeded Năstase lost in straight sets to Borg in the men's singles final of Wimbledon and in the semifinals of the US Open. Năstase won three other tournaments during the second half of the year, the Pepsi Grand Slam, South Orange, and the four-man tournament of Caracas, Venezuela, in October (not to be confused with the Caracas WCT tournament in March), making seven tournament championships for the year. Năstase was the world No. 3, behind Connors and Borg.

In 1977, Năstase finished No. 9 in the ATP rankings. He was a quarterfinalist at the French Open and at Wimbledon (losing to Borg), and participated in the WCT Finals. During his quarterfinal match at Wimbledon Năstase had a row with umpire Jeremy Shales.[17] Shales called him "Năstase" when asking him to move to the advantage court, "like a master speaks to a naughty schoolboy."[18] (Năstase has also said Shales asked him to pick up a piece of paper that had blown onto the court, saying, "Năstase, pick up that paper."[19]) Năstase angrily replied "You call me Mr. Năstase!". Since this incident, umpires have always used a courtesy title when addressing the players directly. Mr. Nastase later became the title of his autobiography.

He was still one of the 20 best players in 1978; at Wimbledon, he again reached the quarterfinals.[20]

Năstase retired from the tour in October 1985 at the age of 39 after playing in the Grand Prix de Tennis de Toulouse, but he did play the challenger tournament at Dijon in June 1988.

Controversies

[edit]

In the second round of the 1976 US Open against Hans-Jürgen Pohmann, there were several controversial moments involving Năstase. At 5–5 in the third and final set Năstase was furious at a photographer and hit a ball at him and swung his racket near him.[21] The crowd were at fever pitch by this point. Then Pohmann began cramping badly in his leg. "Three times Pohmann went down on his cramped leg and three times he came back to fight Năstase to a standstill".[21] With the aid of the tournament physician, who attended the leg, Pohmann saved three match points and the set entered a final set tie-break.[21] Năstase was screaming at the umpire and making obscenities to the crowd. Pohmann had two match points but Năstase won and then screamed at Pohmann as the two approached the net.[21] The British umpire George Armstrong refused to shake Năstase's hand as Ilie continued raving.[21] Many thought Năstase should have been disqualified. Later, Năstase claimed the match should have been forfeited to him when Pohmann was unable to continue play immediately (he and Pohmann had to be separated in the clubhouse after the match).[21]

In October 1977 at the Raquette d'Or tournament, Năstase used a 'spaghetti string' (double-strung) racket to end Guillermo Vilas's 46-match winning streak. The racket was known for creating large amounts of top spin and unpredictable bounces. Vilas quit the match in protest of the racket.[22] A few days later, the ATP banned the use of such racquets.[23]

During the US Open in 1979, Năstase was defaulted from his match against John McEnroe. The umpire previously docked Năstase a point in third set and then a game in the fourth for arguing and stalling. A near-riot followed as the crowd disagreed with the umpire's decision, throwing beer cans and cups on court. The match was restarted, with the umpire being replaced, before McEnroe won.[24][25][26][27]

In 1994 Năstase, Davis Cup captain of his country, was banned for an away match against Great Britain, for "'audible obscenities and constant abuse and intimidation of officials'" in a tie against South Africa.[28]

In 2017, while captaining his country's Fed Cup team against Great Britain, Năstase was overheard commenting about Serena Williams' unborn child, and the then 71-year-old asked Britain's Fed Cup captain Anne Keothavong for her room number while posing for photographers.[29] Năstase previously made unfounded comments about Williams allegedly doping. Before Great Britain and Romania began their two-day World Group play-off,[30] Năstase allegedly stormed in to the media centre to confront British journalists over the reporting of his comments the previous day. Năstase could only find Press Association tennis correspondent Eleanor Crook before launching into a tirade about the reporting.[31]

During the second rubber, after the crowd had been told to respect the players, he said to match umpire Andreas Egli: "It's not the opera, what's your fucking problem?"[32] He was ultimately ejected from the stadium for unsportsmanlike conduct.[33] In a statement the International Tennis Federation (ITF) additionally confirmed that Năstase had his accreditation removed and would take no further part in the tie.[34] The next day, the ITF provisionally suspended Năstase under the Fed Cup Regulations for a breach of the Fed Cup Welfare Policy, meaning that he was banned from the site of any ITF event.[35] When Năstase was ejected from the stadium he met Crook again and, separated by a large number of security guards, verbally attacked her.[36] The next day, despite being banned from the venue, Năstase reappeared and went to have lunch in the onsite restaurant. He additionally sent flowers to the British team.[37] On 21 July 2017, he was suspended by the ITF until 2021.

Williams released a statement on social media branding the comments about her unborn child as racist, noting that it saddened her that we live in a society where these comments can be made.[38] Năstase then apologised on social media regarding the comments he made about Williams, but made comments about Konta speaking to the umpire which upset him.[39] In a further interview with the BBC, Năstase justified his comments to Konta, stating that he only abused her after being ejected from the court and did so as a fan rather than a captain. Năstase also said that he regretted his behaviour in the incident.[40] Năstase was not invited to the 2017 French Open and Wimbledon following his suspension.[41] The Madrid Open, however, invited Năstase to be part of the prizegiving ceremony, which was won by Romanian Simona Halep. This was a move that was deemed irresponsible by the WTA, which had revoked Năstase's privileges while the ITF carried out its investigation.[42][43]

Allegations of inappropriate behaviour included Pam Shriver claiming Năstase frequently asked in a joking manner if she was still a virgin. After about 30 occasions of this happening, Shriver asked him to stop asking that, which he did.[44] Dominique Monami, captain of the Belgium team, then mentioned that Năstase had abused her in the round before the match with Great Britain.[45] Monami later added that Năstase was abusive for two games during the match between Elise Mertens and Irina-Camelia Begu.[46]

Playing style

[edit]
Năstase in 1973

Considered one of the most gifted tennis players in history,[47] Năstase was noted for his ability to entertain, amusing spectators with his antics and mimicry. Even during a crucial phase of a match, he was likely to do something bizarre that would entertain the crowd.[7]

One of the fastest players, he is remembered for his magnificent lobs and retrieves. Năstase could apply a discomforting spin to his shots, being an expert at putting the ball just beyond an opponent's reach. His greatest weakness was a fragile nervous system and erratic temperament.[48]

Năstase pioneered a distinctive tennis shot, a backward, over-the-shoulder wrist-flick useful as a last resort in recovering lobs. Tennis writer Bud Collins dubbed the shot the "Bucharest Backfire" after Năstase.[49]

According to The Independent, Năstase is best remembered for being one of the better players never to win the singles title at Wimbledon, for his tantrums, and his good looks.[50]

Athletic distinctions

[edit]
  • Năstase has the all-time highest winning percentage (88%, 22 wins and only 3 losses) in the year ending tournaments (today ATP Tour Finals) winning four times, in 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1975.
  • He is one of the five tennis players (third place) in the world who won more than 100 pro titles (57 singles and 45 doubles) according to the ATP website,[2] though there are many titles that are not included in the ATP statistics.
  • Năstase was the first professional sports figure to sign an endorsement contract with Nike.

Awards and accolades

[edit]
  • Năstase was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991.
  • In March 2009, Năstase was made a knight of the France's Legion d'honneur, being acclaimed for his "impressive sporting career" and "the sense of spectacle" he created when playing.[51]
  • On 19 July 2016, his 70th birthday, Năstase received the Star of Romania, his country's highest civil award, for services to sport.[52]

Books

[edit]

Năstase has published two novels and at least one autobiography.

  • Tie-Break (Tie-break, 1985), also published as Break Point
  • The Net (Le filet, 1986)
  • Mr Nastase: The Autobiography (Mr Năstase: Autobiografia, 2004)

Political career

[edit]
Electoral posters of Anton Vătășescu (USD, left) and Ilie Năstase (PDSR, right) in 1996

He holds the rank of major general in the Romanian military. He entered Romanian politics in 1995, joining the Social Democracy Party of Romania[53] and making an unsuccessful run for mayor of Bucharest in 1996.[54] Elected to the Romanian Senate for a Bucharest seat in 2012, he initially sat for the Conservative Party (PC), then subsequently switching to the National Union for the Progress of Romania (UNPR) in July 2015 after the former party ceased to exist.[55] He left the UNPR in 2016, after it merged with the People's Movement Party.[56]

Personal life

[edit]

Năstase has been married five times: his first wife was Dominique Grazia, a Belgian fashion model, whom he wed at the age of 26 and whom he was married to for 10 years, and with whom he has a daughter, Nathalie. His second wife was American actress Alexandra King, whom he married in 1984, and with whom he adopted two children, Nicholas and Charlotte. His third wife was Romanian fashion model Amalia Teodosescu, whom he married in 2004. They have two children, Alessia and Emma Alexandra. After they split in 2010, he married Romanian fashion model Brigitte Sfăt in 2013;[57][58] their marriage ended in 2018.[59] In 2019, he married Ioana Simion.[60]

Maxim has placed Năstase at number 6 on its "Living Sex Legends" list, as he is reputed to have slept with over 2,500 women.[61] Năstase's own estimate of 800 to 900 was too low for the writer of his biography who wanted a larger number to improve his reputation.[62] After hearing this, his third wife, Amalia, said that she was happy to have conquered such a man. Năstase met Amalia at a Sting concert and married her in a Greek Orthodox ceremony on 5 June 2004, followed by a civil ceremony in July of the same year. They divorced in February 2010, after six years of marriage.[63]

As he played for the Army's sports club Steaua, he was an employee of the Ministry of Defence.[citation needed]

In 2010 he appeared in the "Be free" video of Smiley's band Radio Killer alongside footballers Ioan Lupescu and Ousmane N'Doye.[64]

On 25 May 2018, Năstase was arrested twice within a six-hour span for drunk-driving and riding a scooter through a red light.[65]

He was involved[when?] in an animation project, and provides the Romanian voice of the federal agent in the Disney movie "G-Force".[citation needed]

During the second season of "Masked Singer România", Năstase appeared as "Bufnița" on 9 September 2021. He sang "My Way" by Frank Sinatra, unmasking himself before the audience vote for elimination.[citation needed]

Career statistics

[edit]
Main article: Ilie Năstase career statistics

Singles performance timeline

[edit]
Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

Qualifying matches and walkovers are neither official match wins nor losses.

Tournament 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 SR W–L Win%
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A 1R A A A A 0 / 1 0–1 0.00
French Open 3R 3R 2R 1R QF F 1R W QF 3R A QF A 1R A 3R 2R 3R 1R A 1 / 16 37–15 71.15
Wimbledon 1R 1R A 3R 4R 2R F 4R 4R 2R F QF QF A 3R 1R 1R A A A 0 / 15 35–15 70.00
US Open A A A 4R A 3R W 2R 3R QF SF 2R A 2R 2R 1R 4R 1R 1R 1R 1 / 15 29–14 67.44
Win–loss 2–2 2–2 1–1 5–3 7–2 9–3 13–2 11–2 9–3 7–3 10–2 9–3 4–1 1–2 3–2 2–4 4–3 2–2 0–2 0–1 2 / 47 101–45 69.18
Year-end championships
Masters Cup NH A W W W F W A 4 / 5 22–3 88.00
National representation
Davis Cup P P P F P F F SF QF P P QF P QF 1R 2R 1R 0 / 17 74–22 77.08
Career statistics
Tournaments 2 2 7 22 21 21 32 32 28 26 24 21 22 22 19 27 24 11 12 4 379
Titles / Finals 0–0 0–0 0–2 2–3 2–4 8–13 12–16 16–19 7–12 6–10 6–13 3–5 2–5 0–1 0–0 0–2 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 64 / 104 64–40 61.54
Overall win–loss 2-2 2-2 23-6 40–26 60–21 85–12 120–20 125–18 80–21 93–21 78–15 49–19 44–21 32–26 25–24 25–27 16–26 8–13 4–14 1–4 912 / 1250 912–338 72.96
YE ranking – – – – – – – 1 10 7 3 9 16 50 79 73 118 169 202 431 $2,076,761

Records

[edit]
  • These records were attained in the Open Era of tennis.
Championship Years Record accomplished Player tied
Masters Grand Prix/ATP Finals 1971–1975 88.00% (22–3) match winning percentage[66] Stands alone
Grand Prix Tour 1968–1985 42 five set match wins Stands alone
WCT Challenge Cup 1976–1978 3 singles titles Stands alone
Omaha Open 1972–1973 2 singles titles Stands alone

Books

[edit]
  • Țiriac, Ion; Năstase, Ilie (1972). Ar fi fost prea frumos. Editura Stadion. OCLC 895420065.
  • Năstase, Ilie (1986). Break Point: A Novel. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-3120-9514-7.
  • Năstase, Ilie; Beckerman, Debbie (2004). Mr Nastase: The Autobiography (1st ed.). HarperCollins UK. ISBN 978-0-0071-8141-4.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Ilie Nastase: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "ATP Legends profiles – Ilie Nastase". atpworldtour.com.
  3. ^ "Famous birthdays for July 19: Brian May, Anthony Edwardsl". United Press International. 19 July 2019. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019. Tennis Hall of Fame member Ilie Nastase in 1946 (age 73)
  4. ^ Carbasho, Tracy (2010). Nike (Corporations That Changed the World). Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-59884-342-2.
  5. ^ Jim Sarni (24 August 1986). "Nastase Aces Novel Of Tennis Break Point". SunSentinel. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  6. ^ Robert Sullivan (9 November 1987). "A Tennis Tale With Faults". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  7. ^ a b "Octagon > Athletes & Personalities > Ilie Nastase". Octagon-uk.com. 19 July 1946. Archived from the original on 23 March 2010. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  8. ^ "Ilie Nastase 'Bucharest Bufoon'". tennisfame.com. Archived from the original on 22 December 2007. Retrieved 17 September 2006.
  9. ^ "Herald and Review (Decatur), 3 February 1974". newspapers.com. 3 February 1974.
  10. ^ "Tennis rankings". Star-Phoenix. 12 December 1973. p. 55 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Third Sacker Leads Cheers". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 24 January 1974. p. 20.
  12. ^ Collins & Hollander (1997), p. 651
  13. ^ Almanacco illustrato del tennis 1989, Edizioni Panini, p.694
  14. ^ The Times (London), 3 January 1974, p. 7
  15. ^ Evans, Richard. 'Ilie Nastase' May 1978 Aidan Ellis Publishing. ISBN 978-0856280580
  16. ^ Robertson, Max. 'Wimbledon: Centre Court of the Game' May 1984 Parkwest Publications. ISBN 978-0881864502
  17. ^ "Obituary: Jeremy Shales". The Guardian. 26 September 2005. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  18. ^ "Wimbledon 2015: The top 10 tantrums in SW19 - including Nick Kyrgios". The Telegraph. 7 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  19. ^ Robertson, Peter (5 July 2014). "Whatever happened to… tennis superstar Ilie Nastase?". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  20. ^ "Nastase suspended". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. 5 July 1978. p. 4B.
  21. ^ a b c d e f "Nastase angers crowd while beating Pohmann". The New York Times. 4 September 1976. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  22. ^ Michael Steinberger (23 August 2012). "Queens was burning, too". The New York Times.
  23. ^ Difeliciantonio, Justin (5 February 2013). "Question of the day: revisiting the spaghetti question". Tennis.com.
  24. ^ "Down Memory Lane: The day John McEnroe and Ilie Nastase caused a racket at US Open". Belfast Telegraph.
  25. ^ Lorge, Barry (31 August 1979). "McEnroe Triumphs After Near-Riot" – via washingtonpost.com.
  26. ^ Dwork, David (2 September 2014). "Top 5 Ridiculous U.S. Open Moments".
  27. ^ "Hodgkinson: The US Open's quirkiest moments". 25 August 2015.
  28. ^ "Tennis: Cup ban for Nastase". Independent.co.uk. 31 May 1994.
  29. ^ "Ilie Nastase banned for Serena Williams 'chocolate' baby comment". Sky News.
  30. ^ "Serena Williams: Ilie Nastase heard making derogatory comment". BBC Sport. 21 April 2017.
  31. ^ Sport, Telegraph (22 April 2017). "Ilie Nastase brands female British journalist 'stupid' after reporting his racist comment about Serena's baby". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  32. ^ "Tennis match suspended with Konta left in tears as Nastase is removed from court". The Independent. 22 April 2017.
  33. ^ "Tennis match suspended with Konta left in tears as Nastase is removed from court". Independent.co.uk. 22 April 2017.
  34. ^ "Fed Cup - ITF statement regarding Ilie Nastase". www.fedcup.com. Archived from the original on 23 April 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  35. ^ "Fed Cup - ITF issues Nastase provisional suspension". www.fedcup.com. Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  36. ^ "I was grateful for security men – PA reporter Crooks on Nastase fury – Sports Journalists' Association". www.sportsjournalists.co.uk. 24 April 2017.
  37. ^ Briggs, Simon (23 April 2017). "Ilie Nastase strolls through the front door to defy International Tennis Federation". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  38. ^ Briggs, Simon (24 April 2017). "Serena Williams brands Ilie Nastase comments 'racist'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  39. ^ Briggs, Simon (28 April 2017). "Ilie Nastase apologises for Fed Cup behaviour but can't resist dig at Johanna Konta". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  40. ^ "Ilie Nastase: Romania's Fed Cup captain to quit game if punished by ITF". BBC Sport. 28 April 2017.
  41. ^ "French Open officials follow Wimbledon's lead and ban Ilie Nastase". The Independent. 6 May 2017.
  42. ^ "Ilie Nastase 'cast a shadow' on Madrid Open trophy presentation, women's tennis boss Steve Simon says". ABC Online. 14 May 2017.
  43. ^ "Simona Halep wins in Madrid, but Ilie Nastase steals the show". The New York Times. 13 May 2017.
  44. ^ Pilditch, David (23 April 2017). "Pam Shriver reveals how Ilie Nastase asked her if she was virgin 30 TIMES". Express.co.uk.
  45. ^ Briggs, Simon (24 April 2017). "Exclusive: Ilie Nastase accused of earlier case of sexism by Belgian Fed Cup captain Dominique Monami". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  46. ^ Briggs, Simon (25 April 2017). "Ilie Nastase's previous Fed Cup misconduct laid bare by Belgian captain - 'he called me a big bitch'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  47. ^ Rao, Madhusudan G. "10 Most Captivating Tennis Showmen on Court". Bleacher Report.
  48. ^ "Ilie Nastase - Player Bio". Official Site ATP Tour.
  49. ^ Siegel, Alan (8 September 2010). "Roger Federer and the History of Tennis Trick Shots". The Atlantic. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  50. ^ "Nastase embodies an era with a touch of class". The Independent. London. 28 June 2003. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
  51. ^ "France honours beloved Nastase". Archived from the original on 24 July 2009. Retrieved 12 April 2009.
  52. ^ "For his 70th, Ilie Nastase awarded by Romania president". Miami Herald. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  53. ^ "Memoria EVZ. Cum a ajuns Ilie Năstase să facă politică: "Am făcut acest pas pentru Adrian Năstase"". 28 November 2014.
  54. ^ Perlez, Jane (11 March 1996). "Ilie Nastase, Bad Boy of Tennis, Runs Hard to Take Over Bucharest CityHall". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  55. ^ "STRUCTURA PARLAMENTULUI ROMÂNIEI 2012-2016". www.cdep.ro. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  56. ^ "Ilie Nastase vrea sa plece din UNPR: Nu ne unim cu dracul. Nu am treaba cu tovarasul Basescu".
  57. ^ "LE-A IUBIT ȘI LE-A FERICIT! ELE AU FOST MIRESELE LUI ILIE NĂSTASE!" (in Romanian). 8 November 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  58. ^ "Ilie Năstase și Brigitte Sfăt s-au casatorit. Țiriac: Spune ce vrei, dar să nu mă chemi la divorț, pentru că nu vin !" (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  59. ^ "Victorie importantă pentru Brigitte, la divorțul de Ilie Năstase. Ce a scris în acte fostul jucător de tenis" (in Romanian). Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  60. ^ "Ilie Năstase plănuiește căsătoria religioasă cu Ioana Simion. "Vreau să fac nunta cât mai repede, să scăpăm de acest virus"" (in Romanian). 10 April 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  61. ^ "Sheen Only No. 2 on 'Living Sex Legends' List". Zap2it.com. 30 May 2006. Archived from the original on 17 September 2010. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  62. ^ "Michael Palin meets Ilie Nastase " o'connors o'pinions". Seahorse-design.com. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  63. ^ Alastair McKay (1 February 2006) Ilie Nastase, the Romanian George Best, based on an Interview with Ilie Năstase during the 2004 promotional tour for his autobiography.
  64. ^ "Urmărește-i în acțiune pe N'Doye, Ilie Nastase, Lupescu şi Smiley în noul videoclip Radio Killer!" [Watch N'Doye, Ilie Nastase, Lupescu and Smiley in action in the new Radio Killer video!] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 9 June 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  65. ^ "Ilie Nastase arrested twice in a day, accused of drunken driving". USA Today. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  66. ^ "Tournament History". Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Retrieved 20 February 2012.

Further reading

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ilie Năstase.
Achievements
Preceded by
—
 World No. 1
23 August 1973 – 2 June 1974 		Succeeded by
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