Nastase banned at Wimbledon over racist Serena Williams comments

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On Wednesday, Wimbledon organizers announced that Ilie Nastase would not be invited to the Royal Box after his racist remarks about Serena Williams.

“His actions were not very good and we condemn them. In terms of an invitation to the Royal Box, he is not going to receive an invitation this year,” All England Club chairman Philip Brook told the BBC.

The controversy stems from Nastase’s comments after Williams announced that she was pregnant. Nastase seemed to question the race of the child, since Williams is in a mixed-race marriage, asking, “Let’s see what color it has… Chocolate with milk?”

Williams then took to Instagram to slam his comments.

“It disappoints me to know we live in a society where people like Ilie Nastase can make such racist comments towards myself and my unborn child,” Williams wrote. “I humbly thank the ITF for any consideration given to all the facts in this case.”

Nastase later told the BBC that he didn’t understand the backlash to his “spontaneous” comments.

“English people considered it was racist and everybody picked it up like that,” Nastase said. “The only person who can get upset maybe is Serena, but not you people in England. Why does everybody else get upset? I don’t understand. Whatever.”