Serena Williams Blasts Tennis Hall of Famer For Racist and Sexist Comments: ‘It Disappoints Me’
Here’s Nastase asking Keothavong for her room number. You’ll have to lip read but it’s not difficult pic.twitter.com/uft5uzoblK
— Eleanor Crooks (@EleanorcrooksPA) April 21, 2017
Serena Williams denounced racist and sexist comments recently made by Ilie Nastase — a tennis Hall of Famer and current captain of Romania’s Fed Cup team.
“It disappoints me to know we live in a society where people like Ilie Nastase can make such racist comments towards myself and unborn child, and sexist comments against my peers” Williams said on Instagram.
Nastase made a comment about Williams (who announced she was pregnant last week) and her unborn child at a news conference this past Friday.
“Let’s see what color it has. Chocolate with milk?” Nastase said in Romanian at the Friday press conference.
At the same press conference, he — according to multiple observers — asked Great Britain’s Fed Cup captain Anna Keothavong for her room number. (Video of a portion of the incident can be seen above.)
During a Fed Cup match the next day, Nastase was ejected from the court for reportedly calling Keothavong and Great Britain player Johanna Konta “fucking bitches.”
“This world has come so far but yet we have so much further to go,” Williams wrote, condemning the comments against her and her fellow players. “This or anything else will not stop me from pouring love, light and positivity into everything that I do. I will continue to take a lead and stand up for what’s right.”
You can read her full comments here:
[image via screengrab]
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