Ilie Nastase
One of the original bad boys of pro tennis and one of the top players of the 1970s, Romanian-born Nastase was dubbed "Nasty" for his flamboyant on-court antics. His 57 career singles titles include the 1972 U.S. Open and the 1973 French Open and he was No.1 in the world twice (1972-73).
At 53 (born: July 19, 1946), Nastase, who has residences in New York and Europe, is no longer a force on the main tour -- although he remains active on the senior tour, in which he has won more than a half-dozen singles and doubles titles since 1993.
He dabbled in fiction writing in the 1980s (his tennis-based thrillers, written in French, include Break Point and The Net) and in politics in the 1990s. In 1995, he was elected to Romania's National Council of the Social Democracy Party. In 1996, he made an unsuccessful run for mayor of Bucharest.
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source: http://www.ici.ro/romania/culture/index.html
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Copyright © Consulate General of Romania 2004
