I’m glad she made Konta cry at the end. The start wasn’t too good, but I think she played very well. I was also talking to Șiriac, I think she’s not having such a good day anymore. She played decisively, he took the ball very quickly, but then Simona adjusted and was seen on the court ,” said the former ATP leader, exclusively for Digi Sport.
Simona had support from the stands and from the legendary Nadia Comăneci . “She never gives up, works on details and wants to be as perfect as possible all the time. I’m not good at tennis, like Ilie, but it’s good to have this gallery to continue supporting Simona. And for what he did, but also for what he will do from now on for Romanians” , said Nadia Comăneci, EXCLUSIVELY for Digi Sport
Ilie Năstase, suspended by the ITF after Sorana Cîrstea’s match with Johanna Konta, from 2017
Ilie Năstase was suspended until the end of 2020 and fined $10,000 by the ITF and lost his post asRomaniaafter allegedly using offensive language towardsGreat Britain’s female players.
At 2-1 for Sorana Cîrstea in the second set of the match with Johanna Konta, from Mamaia (after Konta won the first), Ilie Năstase was removed from the bench and was not allowed to stay even in the stands, being escorted out of the arena by law enforcement officers.
After the removal of Ilie Năstase from the arena, only one more game was played, before Johanna Konta burst into tears. When the main referee intervened, the game was stopped again, and Simona Halep, from the stands, made an announcement at the arena’s amplifier station: “On behalf of the team, please stop swearing, speak nicely, because they will disqualify us and we can’t do anything else. We have to respect, play fair… It’s just a tennis match and the match is played on the court. Please respect both players and of course the opposing team a lot”, Simona Halep said two years ago, on the microphone.
