Nastase's behavior overshadows Fed Cup competition

The Fed Cup is meant to showcase the best of tennis-playing countries throughout the world.

Ilie Nastase has shown the world his worst, letting his actions as Romanian captain overshadow his nation’s Fed Cup tie against Great Britain this weekend.

It all started with a question addressed to Romanian star Simona Halep during a press conference Friday regarding Serena Williams’ recently-announced pregnancy.

"Let's see what color it has,” Nastase was reportedly overheard saying. “Chocolate with milk?"

Williams’ fiancé is Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who is white.

But Nastase didn’t stop at racism. He then asked Great Britain captain Anne Keothavong for her hotel room number, visibly making Keothavong uncomfortable.

Halep defended her captain before play began.

But regardless, according to numerous reports, Nastase was already under ITF investigation heading into the first day of play in the World Group II Play-off in Romania. However, the 70-year-old still wasn’t done.

Nastase had choice words for British journalists before the first ball was struck, seemingly agitated by the press covering his comments from the day before.

Nastase spiraled out of control during the second match of the day, as Romanian Sorana Cirstea broke early in the second set after dropping the first to Great Britain’s Johanna Konta.

The captain took offense to the chair umpire’s attempts to calm the raucous crowd, and it went downhill from there. Eventually, the match was temporarily suspended with Konta in tears.

Nastase was escorted off the premises, and Romanian player Monica Niculescu took his place in the captain’s seat once the match eventually resumed, with Konta winning the next five games and with it the match. But Nastase did not leave quietly.

Cirstea did not hold back after the match, accusing the British of gamesmanship.

"Why did Konta start crying and saying she felt threatened at 3-1?” Cirstea asked. “I've been called much worse all over world."

It is safe to say that the British squad disagreed.

“What he said, I am not going to repeat because it’s language that is not appropriate for anyone to speak to any other human," Keothavong said.

“This is unacceptable behavior by a Fed Cup captain,” ITF president David Haggerty said in a statement. “No player, official, member of the media or fan should have to endure any kind of abuse, and Mr. Nastase will rightly play no further part in this tie.”

Romania went on to win the tie, but it is safe to say that nobody will remember anything but Nastase’s actions both on and off the court.