Ilie Nastase set to be barred from Wimbledon's Royal Box

The All England Club has stopped short of black-listing Nastase.

Ilie Nastase set to be barred from Wimbledon's Royal Box

Ilie Nastase is set to be banned from Wimbledon's Royal Box over his sexist tirades which marred Great Britain's Fed Cup defeat in Constanta at the weekend.

Two-time finalist Nastase is a regular at the Championships and was spotted in the prestigious seating area in 2015 wearing a Romanian military-style uniform.

The All England Club has stopped short of black-listing Nastase but it is inconceivable he would be welcomed back to SW19 after his rant which saw him thrown out of the arena where the Fed Cup tie was taking place and has earned him a provisional suspension from the International Tennis Federation.

An All England Club spokesman said: "Invitations to the Royal Box are at the discretion of the chairman and committee of management who will take into account a range of factors, including any suspensions, when determining the guest list for the Championships."

Nastase was expelled midway through the World Group II play-off match after swearing at officials, plus Great Britain captain Anne Keothavong and world number seven Johanna Konta.

Nastase was heard to call Keothavong and Konta "f****** bitches" after the British team complained about calls from the crowd during points, while he also launched an astonishing rant at a Press Association journalist.

Reactions in Romania have been mixed with fellow sporting great Nadia Comaneci springing to the 70-year-old's defence - although she warned he must accept any punishment imposed by the ITF.

In Cluj for the European Gymnastics Championships, Comaneci told Press Association Sport: "Ilie is very patriotic and sometimes he says things that he doesn't really mean - it's just Ilie, and he will always be my friend.

"Of course Ilie is responsible for what comes out of his mouth, and I think it is important in sport that you keep the respect and good behaviour.

"He will have to deal with (the consequences), but he can survive whatever happens to him. People make mistakes. Everybody in Romania loves Ilie because he is Ilie."

Nastase and Comaneci, who won five Olympic gymnastics gold medals and scored her sport's first perfect 10 in Montreal in 1976, are two of the most high-profile sports stars in the country.

Few public figures in Romania have been willing to condemn Nastase's comments, with Konta's opponent Sorana Cirstea instead accusing the Briton of "exaggerating" the incident by briefly walking off the court.

Nastase was already under investigation by the ITF after making an apparently racist comment about Serena Williams' unborn baby at Friday's press conference and asking Keothavong for her room number.

Despite awaiting punishment by the ITF, Nastase has appeared unrepentant about his expulsion, and insisted he does not care what punishment he is given.

The 70-year-old told the Daily Mirror: "I don't regret it and they can send me to prison if they want - I don't care.

"I was just trying to promote the interest of my girl. The English player just stormed off without even asking permission to leave the court and I admit that's when I called her a bitch.

"She kept trying to keep the crowd quiet - but it's not an opera, it's a game.

"I don't need this b*******. I'm 70 years old. I don't even get paid for being team captain. I don't give a s*** if they fine me or don't let me sit in the captain's chair."

Meanwhile Keothavong appeared to question whether Nastase should ever have been appointed as Fed Cup captain given his notoriously volatile temperament.

Nastase frequently courted controversy in his playing days and also served a brief ban during his previous role as Romanian Davis Cup captain.

Keothavong told Sky Sports News: "Clearly his behaviour on court over the weekend and leading up to this tie was inappropriate and in hindsight maybe he shouldn't have been put in the position that he was.

"You walk out onto court as a tennis player expecting to be in a safe environment and expecting to be playing against a partisan crowd - that's understandable - but you don't expect to be verbally abused when you're out there just trying to do your job."

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