Former World No.1 and 1973 Roland Garros winner Ilie Nastase has been banned from attending the 2017 French Open.
The seventy year-old defeated Nikola Pilic in the 1973 final for his only title in Paris. The news comes in the wake of a number of controversial incidents involving Nastase in 2017.
In the Fed Cup tie between Romania and Great Britain last month he insulted Team GB captain Anne Keothavong, before reducing GB’s No.1 Johanna Konta to tears with courtside abuse during her match, for which he was quickly expelled from the stadium.
After the announcement that Serena Williams was due to have a child, Nastase made a number of controversial comments for which he has been severely criticised by players, pundits and the media.
The news that officials in Paris have decided to ban Nastase outright from the tournament follows Wimbledon’s decision not to offer Nastase a place in the Royal Box for 2017. It is custom for former champions and legends of the game to receive offers to sit in the coveted area, but All England Club chairman Phillip Brook confirmed that such an offer would not be extended to Nastase this year.
