Daily Mail: So, General Nastase, how did your wife feel when you told her she was lover No. 2,501? After wowing Wimbledon in Romanian army uniform, Ilie Nastase holds court

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Români în Marea Britanie ✍ Romanians in Great Britain

6 iulie 2014

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Tennis legend Ilie Nastase is waving a crumpled newspaper cutting at me in disgust.

‘They are so stupid! Someone in England jokes that I look like a dictator in my lovely military uniform at Wimbledon this week and here, in Romania, they put my photo next to ones of Colonel Gaddafi and Bashar al-Assad from Syria!

‘I just thought it was nice to make an effort — though I didn’t put all the medals on because there are so many it would look daft.’

The former world No 1 says he got lots of compliments during his appearance on Centre Court. ‘I have a white uniform, too. And a green and a brown one. They are my official uniforms — having been a member of Romania’s armed forces for years.’

Then he mischievously adds: ‘Next year, I’ll come to Wimbledon in my pyjamas — that’ll show them! Or, I’ll come naked!’

Which would provide even more of a stir than Nastase and that immaculately tailored army uniform did on Tuesday in the Royal Box. (Incidentally, it is not standard issue — a tailor travelled from Italy to make it for him.)

We meet back at his home in the Romanian capital of Bucharest, where he gives me a very extended tour over dinner, wine, more wine and his Italian love-song collection.

Clearly he loves all the attention — thrives on it, relies on it.

Ilie ‘Nasty’ Nastase was the original tennis stud. The world’s top-ranked player in 1973, he won 100 professional titles, seven grand slams, four masters and seven championship series.

He had it all — charm, charisma, exotic looks, long dark hair, infamously big hands and a repertoire of hilarious on-court antics.