FORMER Wimbledon finalist Ilie Nastase will not be invited to the Royal Box at Wimbledon this year following his behaviour at last month's Fed Cup tie against Great Britain.
Romania team captain Nastase, 70, was ejected from the match in Constanta following a foul-mouthed tirade directed at his British counterpart Anne Keothavong and British No.1 Johanna Konta.
It was one of a series of incidents for which he is now awaiting sanction by the International Tennis Federation.
The All England Club indicated last week that it would block Nastase's customary invitation to the Royal Box, and this was confirmed by chairman Philip Brook at the Wimbledon spring press conference on Wednesday.
Brook said: "What he did, we have to say, 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."
Nastase, a singles runner-up at Wimbledon in 1972 and 1976, has been temporarily suspended by the ITF while its investigation takes place, but Wimbledon is yet to issue a ban of its own.
The All England Club's chief executive Richard Lewis, however, said the tournament would uphold any ITF suspension and even stop Nastase from attending the Championships as a member of the public.
"If he is suspended and we noticed him, he would be stopped," Lewis said.
The controversial Fed Cup weekend began when Nastase was overheard at the press conference on the eve of the tie talking about Serena Williams' unborn baby, saying: "Let's see what colour it has. Chocolate with milk?''
He had already asked Keothavong for her hotel room number and, after insulting a Press Association journalist the following day, when play got under way, Nastase was heard to call Keothavong and Konta ''f****** bitches'' in a rant which led to his provisional suspension by the ITF.
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