Tennis Legends - Ilie Nastase: Tennis bad boy who was the first official men's world number one

Tennis had its fair share of bad boys but not many compared to Ilie ‘Nasty’ Nastase. He thrived off confrontation, and throughout his life and career was embroiled in several controversies. The volatile behaviour shouldn't detract from an excellent career record. A total of 64 singles titles places him above many greats. A dual major winner who became the first official men's world number one.

Born on the 19th of July 1976 in the Romanian capital Bucharest. He is of Romani ancestry. His career began just prior to the Open Era, in the mid-1960s, travelling to events alongside compatriot Ion Tiriac. Ironically, Nastase's first ATP final, in 1968, was a defeat to Tiriac at a claycourt event in Paroli, Rome.

Nastase claimed his first titles in the 1969 season. His maiden success came at an event in Barranquilla, Colombia. This title on clay was followed later in the year by a hardcourt success in Denver. The 1970 season witnessed Nastase win his biggest title to date at the Italian Open in Rome. It was one of two tournament wins for him this year. He also made his first Grand Slam quarter-final at the French Open.

Seven titles amassed in the 1971 campaign elevated Nastase to a different level in the tennis firmament. These trophy lifts included a first Monte Carlo title and a victory at the season-ending Masters event. The year also saw the Bucharest native reach a first Grand Slam singles final. Nastase went down in four sets to Czech Jan Kodes.

1972 turned into a golden campaign for Nastase. He amassed 12 titles during the season. This included a first Grand Slam triumph. Nastase emerged triumphant at the US Open, which was then still being played on grass. After coming through four-setters with Fred Stolle in the last eight and Tom Gorman in the semis, Nastase faced home favourite Arthur Ashe in the final. The title match was an epic showdown that eventually swung Nastase's way in five sets. He became the first Romanian to win a major. Other titles he won in 1972 included a successful defence of his Masters title in Barcelona and his first Canadian Open title. Nastase also went back-to-back in Monte Carlo.

Nastase's 1973 season continued in a similar vein to the previous one, with the Romanian picking up a career-high 15 titles. Amongst the haul was a second Grand Slam triumph. Nastase was now arguably the best around on clay. He confirmed this by taking the claycourt major, the French Open, in the summer of 1973. Nastase dominated the field, never losing a set throughout. In the final, he destroyed Niki Pilic of then Yugoslavia in just six games.

The collection of titles in 1973 featured a third consecutive Masters crown in Boston. He also made it three in a row in Monte Carlo. A second Italian Open success underlined his dominance on clay. A first Queen's Club title was added just after the claycourt season. A prolific haul of titles enabled Nasatse to become the first official men's world number one when the ATP World Rankings were instituted in August 1973. It's a position he occupied for 40 weeks.

The mid 1970s see new challengers like Borg usurp him, but he does win a fourth Masters title in 1975 Seven titles could be seen as a relative regression in 1974. Emerging challengers such as Bjorn Borg and Guillermo Vilas were beginning to halt Nastase's strike rate of the previous two seasons. The title haul this term included a five set win over Borg to win a second Madrid Grand Prix title and a first Barcelona Open crown. His best major showing was a quarter-final run at Roland Garros. The 1975 season played out disappointingly for Nastase. A fourth Masters title in five years was a solitary trophy capture, a significant drop-off from the last three seasons. His only major last eight appearance came at the US Open.

1976 represented something of a revival for Nastase, even if the biggest prizes remained elusive. A tally of six titles was a marked improvement on 1975. Highlights of the haul included a pair of hard court final wins in the USA over Jimmy Connors. This season featured a last appearance for Nastase in a Grand Slam singles final. A straight sets victory over Mexico's Raul Ramirez secured Nastase a maiden Wimbledon final. In the showpiece contest, Borg defeated him in three sets to win his first Wimbledon crown.

Three titles were accrued in 1977, including a second win at the WCT Challenge Cup in Las Vegas. He made it through to the quarters at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. 1978 yielded the final two singles titles of Nastase’s career. The last of these coming at the aforementioned WCT Challenge Cup, now being played in Montego Bay. His last Grand Slam quarter-final came this year at the French Open. He reached three further finals after this triumph. A runner-up appearance in Bologna proved to be the 105th and last ATP final of his career, winning 64 of them. He officially retired in 1985.

Nastase was a world class doubles exponent. He accrued 45 doubles titles in his career, three of which materialised at Grand Slam level. ‘Nasty’ partnered Tiriac to pocket the 1970 French Open. Then, in alliance with fellow rebel Jimmy Connors, added the men's doubles at Wimbledon in 1973 and the 1975 US Open. American Rosie Casals teamed up with Nastase for a pair of mixed doubles Grand Slam successes, coming at Wimbledon in 1970 and 1972.

Nastase turned out for his country in the Davis Cup with unadulterated passion. Home ties with Nastase were notorious for his fiery antics and whipping up partisan crowds to intimidate the opposition. He holds many of his nation's records including most rubbers won, ties played and years in action. He spearheaded three runs to the final during his 18-year tenure. This is the closest Romania have ever come to winning the Davis Cup.

Volatile outbursts were common from Nastase. He seemed liable to explode at any given minute but had a tendency to avoid the locker room afterwards due to wanting no contact with players he'd just offended. A fine example was a second round clash at the 1976 US Open with Hans Jurgen Pohmann. At 5-5 in the third set, Nastase, now at boiling point, deliberately hit a ball at a photographer and tried swinging for him with his racquet. He became further incensed by his opponent's cramping and began to shout obscenities at the crowd and umpire. He wasn't defaulted and won the match before shouting at Pohmann when they shook hands. In an unusual twist, it was the umpire who refused to shake Nastase's hand!

Three years later Nastase was defaulted in the US Open. It was a game with John McEnroe. Nastase fuming with the umpire eventually went too far. The crowd didn't concur with the decision and threw items on to the court sparking a near riot. When operating as Romania's Fed Cup skipper, Nastase's behaviour plumbed new depths. He was once overheard questioning the colour of Serena Williams’ unborn baby. Williams branded the comments racist and Nastase did later apologise. He'd previously made unsubstantiated allegations about her doping. When Romania faced Great Britain in a 2017 tie, Nastase commented in a suggestive and inappropriate manner towards his opposite number Anne Keothavong. He also upset GB player Johanna Konta with repeatedly aggressive behaviour. His behaviour during this tie, eventually led to a ban from the International Tennis Federation until July 2021. In 2018, Nastase was arrested for drink-driving.

In the 1980s Nastase wrote a pair of novels in French. His autobiography Mr Nastase was released in 2004. Nastase holds the rank of major general in the Romanian military. He became involved with domestic politics when joining the Social Democratic Party of Romania in 1995. He failed in his bid to become Mayor of Bucharest the following year. In 2012, Nastase was elected to a seat in the Romanian Senate for the conservatives. He later switched parts to sit for the National Union for the Progress of Romania. Nastase left the party, in 2016, after it merged with the People's Movement Party.

Nastase married five times. His first wife Dominque Grazia, a Belgian model, who he had daughter Nathalie with. Alexandra King became his second wife in 1984, adopting children Nicholas and Charlotte. His third wife was Romanian Amalla Teodoescu, who he married in 2004. They produced two children, Alessia and Emma Alexandra. From 2013-2018, Nastase was married to Brigitte Sfat. After they split, he married Ioana Simion. He appeared on the Romanian version of the Masked Singer in 2021.

Nastase was elected into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991. He was awarded the highest French civilian honour, the Legion d'honnuer. He rreceived the Romanian equivalent, The Star of Romania in 2016. Nastase established himself as one of the very best players in the world across much of the 1970s. His volume of success on the ATP Tour is bettered by only about a dozen players. Two Grand Slams seems a little light for such a strike rate, but four wins in the Masters event somewhat compensates for the absence of further majors. Nobody has a better win percentage at the season-ending showpiece than Nastase. His game was centred around being awkward to face and remarkable endurance. Such stamina led him to win a remarkable 42 five set matches. Nastase was mean, moody and magnificent.