Ilie Nastase banned by ITF until 2020 after Fed Cup row

Romania Fed Cup captain Ilie Nastase has been handed a three-year ban from the competition following his behaviour during the match against Great Britain in Constanta in February.

Ilie Nastase has been banned from the Fed Cup and Davis Cup. Picture: AP

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Nastase will be barred from acting in an official capacity at any International Tennis Federation event until December 2020 after a series of misdemeanours including making threatening comments to a Press Association journalist.

In addition, Nastase will be denied accreditation to all ITF events until 2018, although the sanction does not include grand slam tournaments nor the respective ATP or WTA Tours, over which the ITF does not have direct jurisdiction.

Nastase was provisionally suspended by the ITF in the wake of the tie in Constanta.

The former French and US Open champion was accused of racist abuse by Serena Williams when he said about her unborn baby: “Let’s see what colour it has. Chocolate with milk?”

He also repeatedly asked British captain Anne Keothavong for her room number during press conferences before the tie.

He then launched foul-mouth abuse at Keothavong, British number one Johanna Konta and tie referee Andreas Egli, causing Konta’s match to be briefly suspended as she left the court in tears, and also confronted Press Association Sport tennis correspondent Eleanor Crooks on two occasions.

Both Wimbledon and the French Open both subsequently announced that they would not be extending their customary invitations to Nastase to attend their respective events.