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We had never seen a player like this.
4
00:00:46,439 --> 00:00:48,479
This fresh, young guy,
5
00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:51,600
and everybody was
talking about Ilie Năstase.
6
00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:58,280
I just... I was born like that.
7
00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:02,479
I cannot help it, I'm trying,
sometimes, but it's not me.
8
00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:09,280
Sometimes people want
more than just tennis.
9
00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:13,799
When Ilie was on the court,
there was always something happening.
10
00:01:14,239 --> 00:01:17,480
I think of him as this unfulfilled genius.
11
00:01:18,359 --> 00:01:20,920
What fascinated me the most
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00:01:21,519 --> 00:01:23,480
was how he returned the balls.
13
00:01:23,879 --> 00:01:26,920
It was almost like a dance.
14
00:01:28,159 --> 00:01:32,480
{\an8}That was the magic, you know,
he made you play his game.
15
00:01:33,599 --> 00:01:36,359
His life was very tumultuous in 1972.
16
00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:39,480
{\an8}It was very, you know,
what's gonna happen next?
17
00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:45,000
You couldn't take your eyes
off the guy on the tennis court!
18
00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:48,840
The Wimbledon final, the US Open,
the great David Cup final in Bucharest,
19
00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:51,439
1972 was the key year for Năstase.
20
00:01:51,799 --> 00:01:54,560
Watching him was
like going to the theater.
21
00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:56,959
And I always felt Ilie...
22
00:01:57,719 --> 00:02:01,400
...wanted to be loved
by everyone, and we did love him.
23
00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:06,599
{\an8}I think Năstase is one of
the great geniuses of our sport,
24
00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:09,360
one of the first stars of our sport.
25
00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:12,639
Ilie and Jimmy,
they kind of made tennis cool.
26
00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:16,240
{\an8}And we were a couple of outlaws.
27
00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:18,240
{\an8}We were. And we liked it!
28
00:02:18,759 --> 00:02:21,360
And at the time,
the tennis rules weren't as strict,
29
00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:24,759
so he could get away with a lot more
than anybody could today.
30
00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:26,439
But that's how it was.
31
00:02:26,439 --> 00:02:31,520
I think the reason he has millions of fans
all over the world is that personality.
32
00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:36,000
{\an8}It's not that he prepared to do stuff,
it just came naturally.
33
00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:39,759
{\an8}He'd say anything that popped
out of his mouth to linesmen,
34
00:02:40,199 --> 00:02:42,479
to the opponent, to anybody.
35
00:02:42,479 --> 00:02:44,560
I think part of the problem was
36
00:02:44,879 --> 00:02:48,680
tennis was really not ready
for Năstase when he began
37
00:02:49,199 --> 00:02:51,800
{\an8}some of this histrionics on the court.
38
00:03:44,919 --> 00:03:49,840
For me, tennis was my life,
since I was 3-4 years old.
39
00:03:50,199 --> 00:03:56,960
{\an8}I played for pleasure,
but if you add spirit and talent,
40
00:03:57,759 --> 00:04:02,599
{\an8}start winning and become number one,
it's something, for sure.
41
00:04:07,199 --> 00:04:09,639
He was extremely shy,
42
00:04:09,639 --> 00:04:13,439
{\an8}but, on the other hand,
he's always had this charisma.
43
00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:17,480
{\an8}You just can't learn that.
44
00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:21,199
You either have it or you don't.
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00:04:22,759 --> 00:04:27,000
{\an8}Him coming from sort of a Communist
country, and people didn't know him,
46
00:04:27,879 --> 00:04:31,720
{\an8}it was like wow, what's
this guy's story? This is crazy!
47
00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:36,120
He was such a curiosity because...
48
00:04:37,279 --> 00:04:40,040
{\an8}Early on, he was winning
all these tournaments in Europe,
49
00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:42,240
{\an8}and we in America
didn't really know who he was.
50
00:04:42,639 --> 00:04:46,560
And we didn't know
any Iron Curtain athletes.
51
00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:51,279
We saw now Eastern European
athletes match up to our own athletes.
52
00:04:51,639 --> 00:04:55,480
But Ilie, to his credit,
you know, he opened up that for us.
53
00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:00,879
{\an8}The Soviets and others
produced many outstanding athletes.
54
00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:05,600
But tennis was a little bit
of a stepchild at that time.
55
00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:09,839
I don't think most Americans
had any idea where Romania was
56
00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:10,839
and what it was.
57
00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:35,480
Năstase really was the first big splash
of an Eastern European country.
58
00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:39,120
In 1969 Nixon came,
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00:05:39,839 --> 00:05:44,839
in 1972 Romania joined the World Bank,
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00:05:45,399 --> 00:05:51,600
so there was a pattern of trying to break
out from under the Soviet thumb.
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00:05:58,399 --> 00:06:01,839
For once, please use
words instead of the ball.
62
00:06:02,160 --> 00:06:04,879
- Who wants to start?
- Ţiriac! He's older.
63
00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:11,399
Warm-up compliments, I see.
Let's warm up with some questions.
64
00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:17,720
Can you please decide
which of you will serve first?
65
00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:21,199
Ţiriac, he always
warms up faster than me.
66
00:06:21,879 --> 00:06:24,519
Fine, I'll start, or we'll never finish.
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00:06:24,519 --> 00:06:29,079
{\an8}I really understand
the Romanian sense of humor, I do.
68
00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:32,920
{\an8}There's a different,
different kettle of worms,
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00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:34,839
a different type of people,
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00:06:34,839 --> 00:06:37,800
and you really either
get it or you don't get it.
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00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:42,279
I don't think there was a serious word
ever spoken between Ion and Ilie,
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00:06:42,279 --> 00:06:44,480
they just can't help themselves.
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00:06:44,879 --> 00:06:47,480
They're brothers from a different mother.
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00:06:49,319 --> 00:06:51,439
We know each other well.
We're close friends.
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00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:59,480
We share a room at every championship,
each week, month, year...
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00:06:59,480 --> 00:07:05,319
Ţiriac says he shares a room with me
more often than with his wife.
77
00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:11,399
{\an8}When you travelled abroad,
you needed accommodation.
78
00:07:11,879 --> 00:07:14,480
Wimbledon, for example,
didn't provide a room.
79
00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:19,439
I said to Ilie: If we sleep
in a park, we can save two pounds.
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00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:25,079
Two pounds a day
would buy us four pairs of sneakers,
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00:07:25,759 --> 00:07:28,279
that we could sell in Bucharest.
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00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:34,079
We were doing business,
not just flying around.
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00:07:34,839 --> 00:07:38,399
Then our families could
get by another month.
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00:07:41,199 --> 00:07:44,240
He was the brains,
telling me to go all-out or not,
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00:07:44,839 --> 00:07:49,360
or do those defensive, high lobs
that landed right on the baseline.
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00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:51,800
I think we complement
each other wonderfully.
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00:07:52,399 --> 00:07:54,160
We understood each other.
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00:07:54,160 --> 00:07:57,360
We each knew where to go,
how and why.
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00:07:59,920 --> 00:08:02,439
Mr. Năstase was in another league.
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00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:05,800
The rest of us should know our place.
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00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:09,120
He won Grand Slam titles
with other players too,
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00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:10,800
in doubles and mixed doubles.
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00:08:11,519 --> 00:08:13,680
Năstase had been winning a lot,
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00:08:13,680 --> 00:08:16,720
{\an8}and the computer ranking,
the first one that came out,
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00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:20,800
{\an8}had him No. 1 in the world,
so no one can take that away from him.
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00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:24,680
the first ATP-ranking world No. 1.
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00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:29,399
We were watching every Monday
morning what our ranking was,
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00:08:29,879 --> 00:08:31,240
and he was first.
99
00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:35,000
He was physically very fit,
very fast, could jump well.
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00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:37,000
could slide well on the clay,
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00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:40,240
but his main strength
was his feel for the ball.
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00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:42,360
When people pay expensive tickets,
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00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:45,320
they want to be mesmerized
by the action on the court.
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00:08:45,639 --> 00:08:47,159
Ilie gave them that.
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00:08:49,039 --> 00:08:51,000
- Mr. Ilie Năstase?
- Yes.
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00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:52,639
Excuse me, may I...
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00:08:52,639 --> 00:08:55,320
- How do you know me?
- How could I not?
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00:08:55,320 --> 00:08:57,639
- You know the lady?
- I did gymnastics.
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00:08:57,639 --> 00:08:59,320
Of course, Mrs. Comăneci!
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00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:01,720
- The boy knows his stuff!
- May I?
111
00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:03,759
Sure.
You come over too!
112
00:09:04,759 --> 00:09:06,000
Look at the kid!
113
00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:11,200
They opened up tennis,
they showed it to the world.
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00:09:11,519 --> 00:09:15,000
{\an8}In many ways, they made
the journey easier for us,
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00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:17,519
the players of today.
116
00:09:47,919 --> 00:09:49,600
There is character,
and there is charisma.
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00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:52,519
Ilie Năstase, smolderingly handsome,
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00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:56,480
and Ion Ţiriac,
rugged as some Ruthenian bandit.
119
00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:58,840
But it's Năstase
who sets the hearts aflutter.
120
00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:00,440
So Wimbledon's underway!
121
00:10:02,919 --> 00:10:06,559
For your first match,
this is probably where you'll start.
122
00:10:06,559 --> 00:10:09,879
{\an8}Very interesting, playing on
these outside courts as a youngster.
123
00:10:09,879 --> 00:10:12,639
{\an8}A lot of older people
never make the inside court.
124
00:10:13,159 --> 00:10:18,039
But if you're young and ambitious, this
is where you'll play your first matches.
125
00:10:18,039 --> 00:10:21,639
And you'll look way back
up there and see the scoreboard.
126
00:10:22,039 --> 00:10:25,240
The things that are going on
inside that center court...
127
00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:30,519
You'll probably just be a spectator,
watching what's going on.
128
00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:38,120
It was Romanian Ilie Năstase playing
Stan Smith in the Wimbledon finals.
129
00:10:38,519 --> 00:10:39,639
It was a big thing.
130
00:10:40,159 --> 00:10:43,960
And for me to be there, sitting,
watching Ilie play...
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00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:47,759
{\an8}I'll never forget that, because
that was starting, for me, to...
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00:10:48,279 --> 00:10:52,360
{\an8}I was dreaming, maybe one day
I'm gonna be on that center court.
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00:10:52,879 --> 00:10:56,159
Maybe not in a final, but...
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00:10:56,679 --> 00:10:58,039
I want to be there.
135
00:10:58,639 --> 00:11:00,840
This is the biggest thing you can do.
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00:11:01,279 --> 00:11:05,559
So I was sitting, enjoying,
and of course I was rooting for Ilie.
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00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:23,919
You know, Nasty was great
on every surface, particularly on clay,
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00:11:23,919 --> 00:11:26,279
but he became
a very good grass court player,
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00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:30,039
{\an8}his serve was more effective on grass
and he could move really well,
140
00:11:30,039 --> 00:11:32,840
{\an8}so he became a very good
grass court player.
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00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:34,799
I was clueless.
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00:11:34,799 --> 00:11:38,039
How do you slide?
The court wouldn't let me slide.
143
00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:41,919
I was used to clay,
which lets you skid around.
144
00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:44,279
On grass, you hop around.
145
00:12:18,919 --> 00:12:23,159
It threatens to be one Sabbath day
which isn't too holy.
146
00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:54,559
It's almost where we came in.
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00:12:54,919 --> 00:12:56,679
If Năstase were a violinist,
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00:12:56,679 --> 00:12:59,679
you'd feel sure he'd take
the name of Stradivarius in vain.
149
00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:02,519
But his choice
of serving racket now is vital!
150
00:13:13,039 --> 00:13:15,200
Dan, if I can tell you what's happening...
151
00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:19,559
Năstase realizes he's got too tight
a racket for these heavy conditions.
152
00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:36,879
Advantage Smith!
153
00:13:43,279 --> 00:13:44,919
For the second successive year,
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00:13:44,919 --> 00:13:49,039
Wimbledon is to be graced
with a 5-set final of Olympian scale.
155
00:14:15,679 --> 00:14:17,200
Advantage Smith!
156
00:14:18,159 --> 00:14:20,519
So, for the fourth time,
Smith has championship point.
157
00:14:34,159 --> 00:14:36,440
It was the last shot of Wimbledon '72,
158
00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:40,440
and Stanley Smith is informally crowned
the new champion.
159
00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:44,279
But Ilie Năstase will not be
a forgotten finalist.
160
00:14:44,840 --> 00:14:47,000
He brought to Wimbledon
an arduous temperament
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00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:49,360
and revealed a talent
many thought beyond him.
162
00:14:49,799 --> 00:14:51,559
He was always exciting.
163
00:14:55,759 --> 00:14:59,919
He missed that shot and I didn't really
realise, for a second, that it was over,
164
00:14:59,919 --> 00:15:03,200
then I threw my racket about
40 feet in the air, jumped over the net.
165
00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:04,799
He was disappointed, obviously.
166
00:15:04,799 --> 00:15:07,919
So people would ask me,
was it difficult to play against him?
167
00:15:07,919 --> 00:15:10,600
Because Nasty was
controversial a lot of times.
168
00:15:10,600 --> 00:15:15,320
But in that match he wasn't, he was just
complaining about his racket strength.
169
00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:16,799
{\an8}And it just didn't work out for him,
170
00:15:16,799 --> 00:15:21,879
{\an8}but I think it was not just lack
of preparedness, but nerves, I think he...
171
00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:26,200
He didn't handle the pressure well,
and when it got close near the end,
172
00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:29,120
he didn't quite have
the nerve to pull it off.
173
00:16:16,759 --> 00:16:18,279
Năstase, will you come here, please?
174
00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:24,600
First of all...
175
00:16:24,919 --> 00:16:26,600
Don't call me Năstase!
176
00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:28,840
- You call me Mr. Năstase!
- Mr. Năstase!
177
00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:30,200
That's better! Yes!
178
00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:31,360
- Mister Năstase.
- Yes, Sir!
179
00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:33,559
I'm reporting you for delaying.
180
00:16:33,559 --> 00:16:36,159
I'm reporting you to the referee,
you call me Năstase.
181
00:16:36,159 --> 00:16:37,399
Call me Mister!
182
00:16:37,399 --> 00:16:39,840
Let's play nice, I tell the guy.
183
00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:43,159
You don't want trouble from me,
you know I'm crazy.
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00:16:43,519 --> 00:16:46,000
From now on,
I'm Mr. Năstase to you.
185
00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:49,720
So the match starts.
Borg on the serve.
186
00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:52,440
Love-15, Mr. Năstase!
187
00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:56,399
Let's not overdo it,
only call me Mr. for the games!
188
00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:27,519
The Năstase phenomenon
did not begin with Ilie.
189
00:17:27,519 --> 00:17:32,319
{\an8}It began, though at a much smaller scale,
190
00:17:32,799 --> 00:17:35,880
with Costică Năstase, his older brother.
191
00:17:36,359 --> 00:17:39,279
Costică Năstase,
he beat him all the time,
192
00:17:41,039 --> 00:17:42,359
but it helped him a lot,
193
00:17:42,359 --> 00:17:46,240
{\an8}having Costică and myself in the team.
194
00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:52,440
Costică... what a hard worker,
what an amazing character.
195
00:17:52,839 --> 00:17:57,480
I always said, if he had had
10% of Ilie's talent,
196
00:17:58,000 --> 00:17:59,799
he'd have been a world champion.
197
00:17:59,799 --> 00:18:02,799
Costică was 13 years older than me.
198
00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:07,000
The house was full of tennis rackets
and dirty tennis shoes.
199
00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:08,480
I had the equipment.
200
00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:10,480
It made you want to play.
201
00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:13,839
I was living in the tennis club.
202
00:18:13,839 --> 00:18:16,559
My house was
just inside of the tennis club.
203
00:18:17,039 --> 00:18:20,000
And every time I was going home
from school,
204
00:18:21,319 --> 00:18:24,960
or going to school,
I would pass the tennis club on my way.
205
00:18:26,319 --> 00:18:29,559
Our house was between a tennis court
and a football stadium.
206
00:18:29,559 --> 00:18:34,680
When I was five, I got out of the house
with a football and a tennis racket.
207
00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:38,640
I walked around the stadium
kicking the ball and swinging the racket.
208
00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:42,839
They were both in my head,
I didn't know which one to choose.
209
00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:47,000
Like everybody in Europe, I was
interested in soccer more than tennis.
210
00:18:47,519 --> 00:18:50,119
Why didn't you become
a football player, then?
211
00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:53,599
Well, when I was 13 or 14,
212
00:18:53,599 --> 00:18:57,839
I won my first tournament in tennis
and they gave me a brand new racket,
213
00:18:58,319 --> 00:19:01,359
which was something
unbelievable for me at that age.
214
00:19:01,759 --> 00:19:03,839
Just because of that racket, maybe,
215
00:19:03,839 --> 00:19:06,839
I switched completely
from soccer to tennis.
216
00:19:07,759 --> 00:19:10,799
The first time he put on ice skates,
I couldn't keep up.
217
00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:14,400
I wanted to teach him
skiing in Poiana Braşov,
218
00:19:14,759 --> 00:19:16,880
and he skied down perfectly,
219
00:19:16,880 --> 00:19:20,920
except he ran into the fence
because I hadn't taught him to stop.
220
00:19:23,599 --> 00:19:27,640
{\an8}Definitely, because Ţiriac
was quite a few years older
221
00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:30,319
{\an8}and he also came from another sport,
222
00:19:31,119 --> 00:19:33,680
a very good ice hockey player,
a very good sportsman.
223
00:19:34,440 --> 00:19:39,160
He knew all the tricks of the game, and
I think definitely Ilie learned from him.
224
00:19:39,839 --> 00:19:44,319
{\an8}Năstase grew
by my side, I would say...
225
00:19:45,079 --> 00:19:48,960
I saw him evolving in everything,
not only in tennis.
226
00:19:49,839 --> 00:19:52,559
It was very hard for me to get here,
227
00:19:53,079 --> 00:19:56,200
it took at least 10-12 years.
228
00:19:57,559 --> 00:20:01,559
Others told me that
I met Ilie back in 1959,
229
00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:04,599
apparently he was my ball boy.
230
00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:07,680
I don't remember that.
231
00:20:08,039 --> 00:20:12,359
I do remember seeing him
in Bucharest in the '60s,
232
00:20:12,359 --> 00:20:13,640
but he wasn't playing tennis.
233
00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:18,079
He was playing football with
some boys and kept hiding the ball.
234
00:20:18,079 --> 00:20:22,799
He must have weighed
30 kilos or something.
235
00:20:24,079 --> 00:20:26,759
At first, they only let me
bounce the ball against the wall.
236
00:20:27,079 --> 00:20:33,079
It was actually great training,
my racket was a piece of fence
237
00:20:33,599 --> 00:20:36,319
cut in the shape of a paddle-bat.
238
00:20:37,079 --> 00:20:40,240
If you did it wrong,
the ball didn't bounce back.
239
00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:42,039
You had to chase it.
240
00:20:42,039 --> 00:20:47,319
You had to really focus so you
could hit it a second and third time.
241
00:20:48,079 --> 00:20:50,839
That wall was good training for me.
242
00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:55,759
Besides, behind that wall
was the chocolate factory!
243
00:20:55,759 --> 00:20:58,920
Sometimes, the workers
would throw me some.
244
00:21:00,319 --> 00:21:03,720
I started to see more and more of Ilie.
245
00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:07,400
The Federation already
had their eye on him.
246
00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:09,599
So I sort of took him along.
247
00:21:10,039 --> 00:21:14,960
I was a great sportsman back then,
17 tournaments under my belt,
248
00:21:15,279 --> 00:21:17,640
in a position to negotiate my pay.
249
00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:24,000
I could say if you won't give me
a few lei extra for Ilie,
250
00:21:24,440 --> 00:21:25,680
I'm not coming.
251
00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:27,920
Ţiriac would tell the organizers:
252
00:21:28,519 --> 00:21:30,440
If I come to your tournament,
253
00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:33,079
Năstase and Mărmureanu
are coming too.
254
00:21:33,559 --> 00:21:34,799
He was the brains.
255
00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:40,119
He always got us contracts
with racket and shoe brands,
256
00:21:40,119 --> 00:21:42,759
with equipment providers.
257
00:21:42,759 --> 00:21:45,119
We were satisfied,
we got our equipment.
258
00:21:45,759 --> 00:21:49,240
Lately, your name
is connected with that of Ţiriac.
259
00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:53,319
Could you describe
your fellow sportsman?
260
00:21:56,359 --> 00:21:58,559
I've been playing with Ion for...
261
00:21:59,480 --> 00:22:01,039
...about eight years,
262
00:22:01,039 --> 00:22:05,880
and I can say I owe him my first
participation in a great tournament.
263
00:22:06,319 --> 00:22:11,720
He was famous,
I was just starting to become famous.
264
00:22:13,799 --> 00:22:17,839
When we started to pair for doubles,
it worked very well from the start.
265
00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:20,720
He was a wild child.
266
00:22:21,759 --> 00:22:25,960
{\an8}In 1966, we first played
in the Davis Cup against France.
267
00:22:26,359 --> 00:22:29,039
{\an8}We lost the doubles in five sets.
268
00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:33,240
{\an8}We lost it because of Năstase.
269
00:22:34,079 --> 00:22:36,599
{\an8}I still believe this, he may not agree.
270
00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:40,519
{\an8}It was the event that cemented
our doubles team.
271
00:22:41,039 --> 00:22:44,039
{\an8}We match each other's
qualities and faults.
272
00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:49,440
We played the finals here.
In 1966.
273
00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:51,720
Two Americans beat us in the finals.
274
00:22:52,039 --> 00:22:54,200
It was my first French Open.
275
00:22:54,759 --> 00:22:56,880
That is, my first time at the French Open.
276
00:22:57,400 --> 00:23:01,400
This afternoon at Roland-Garros, in
sunny weather, before 2.000 spectators,
277
00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:04,160
young Năstase proved
to be the best of the four,
278
00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:06,200
while his partner Ţiriac was the weakest.
279
00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:10,960
Ţiriac made constant disparaging
remarks about his young partner,
280
00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:12,799
who, however, played far better.
281
00:23:14,039 --> 00:23:18,079
He played a lot with Ion.
They made an amazing team.
282
00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:21,880
They were winning a lot.
They were very, very, very strong.
283
00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:26,559
Ion's game was very serious,
intelligent and all that,
284
00:23:26,559 --> 00:23:31,079
{\an8}Năstase flitted around, intercepted,
creative all the time.
285
00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:34,400
He couldn't do
anything stupid, because Ion...
286
00:23:36,319 --> 00:23:37,680
Would twist his neck.
287
00:23:40,359 --> 00:23:42,839
There were a couple of things
that made him stand out.
288
00:23:42,839 --> 00:23:44,319
You could almost call him a genius.
289
00:23:44,319 --> 00:23:47,720
{\an8}He was hitting shots that
nobody else could play at that time.
290
00:23:49,359 --> 00:23:52,400
Santana had introduced
the topspin lob off the back end,
291
00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:53,680
he took it to another level.
292
00:23:54,559 --> 00:23:57,119
Tennis was in a very, very...
293
00:23:57,799 --> 00:24:00,079
strong state of transition,
294
00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:03,880
at the time that Năstase
was on the scene.
295
00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:07,720
You have to keep in mind that in 1968
296
00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:13,160
tennis went from essentially
an amateur sport to the Open era.
297
00:24:13,160 --> 00:24:15,680
uniting amateurs and professionals.
298
00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:19,480
And that brought a whole new
element into the game, besides money.
299
00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:23,480
{\an8}It also brought prominence
to players who'd have been away.
300
00:24:23,799 --> 00:24:27,680
It also changed the emphasis
in terms of what was important,
301
00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:32,039
because now the game was open,
it was now a sort of free-for-all.
302
00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:36,319
Tennis was sort of a sport for the elite,
303
00:24:36,319 --> 00:24:39,720
{\an8}and when Năstase came along,
it became...
304
00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:43,279
{\an8}more exciting for the common man.
305
00:24:43,279 --> 00:24:47,160
It created emotion that
the average man could identify with.
306
00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:57,119
I find the tennis back then
more beautiful than the one now.
307
00:24:57,440 --> 00:25:00,000
The ball wasn't so fast,
308
00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:03,960
it gave you time
to see the elegance of it.
309
00:25:04,599 --> 00:25:06,720
{\an8}Năstase was highly artistic,
310
00:25:07,279 --> 00:25:09,480
{\an8}as well as highly aesthetical.
311
00:25:09,839 --> 00:25:14,359
Before him, all the players
were very humble and serious,
312
00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:18,559
{\an8}and Ilie combined all of that:
the beautiful game, the good looks,
313
00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:21,680
the interaction with the crowd,
he could speak Italian, so...
314
00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:26,319
All of that made him
an overnight rockstar, I think.
315
00:25:26,319 --> 00:25:31,200
{\an8}But I don't remember if there was
one player that was having as much fun
316
00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:33,640
and being as disruptive as Ilie was.
317
00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:36,720
I don't know where he got it,
I think it's a Romanian thing.
318
00:25:37,039 --> 00:25:39,359
{\an8}There was another guy
before him, Pancho Gonzáles,
319
00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:45,240
Pancho Gonzáles was amazing, I think
he, in some ways, was the first superstar
320
00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:47,519
before court tennis the way we know it,
321
00:25:47,519 --> 00:25:50,680
but Năstase definitely
was the superstar of our sport.
322
00:25:50,680 --> 00:25:53,119
He transcended our sport.
323
00:25:53,599 --> 00:25:56,640
People knew about him
whether they were into tennis or not.
324
00:26:00,759 --> 00:26:04,480
Insolent, elegant, angry,
whimsical, bon vivant,
325
00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:07,960
Ilie Năstase is more than
just a great tennis player.
326
00:26:08,319 --> 00:26:11,559
His personality makes him
the most courted champion
327
00:26:11,559 --> 00:26:13,240
of modern-day tennis.
328
00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:17,160
The success of a federation tournament
is built on his name.
329
00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:20,079
The năstase is the only tennis currency
330
00:26:20,079 --> 00:26:23,559
on par with the US dollar
of professional tennis.
331
00:26:25,559 --> 00:26:28,440
A daredevil on the court
and in real life,
332
00:26:28,799 --> 00:26:31,400
he is loved by some,
hated by others.
333
00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:35,480
He is certainly far removed
from the distinguished gentlemen
334
00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:37,720
who in 1920, at Wimbledon,
335
00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:42,079
between backhand shots,
bowed to the ladies in attendance.
336
00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:46,279
But Năstase is also not
akin to Pancho Gonzáles,
337
00:26:46,759 --> 00:26:50,480
the sportive expression
of the American consumerist society.
338
00:26:51,519 --> 00:26:53,200
He is something new from the East,
339
00:26:53,799 --> 00:26:56,200
a rebellious bohemian armed with a racket
340
00:26:56,200 --> 00:27:00,200
with which, when offended,
he deals vicious blows.
341
00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:08,359
{\an8}He could serve that way,
and the ball goes the other way.
342
00:27:08,759 --> 00:27:13,039
I've seen him do that, he goes backwards
and he serves and flicks his wrist back,
343
00:27:13,519 --> 00:27:16,359
it's almost impossible,
and the ball goes in.
344
00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:20,640
He has a fantastic wrist
and great control over the ball.
345
00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:24,680
I think he has more control over the ball
than himself, that was his problem.
346
00:27:25,039 --> 00:27:29,319
Because he was in fact
ahead of the game as to where it was,
347
00:27:29,319 --> 00:27:33,559
many people mistook
what his behaviour was on the court
348
00:27:33,559 --> 00:27:38,519
and these officials, the linesmen,
they were not prepared to accept
349
00:27:38,519 --> 00:27:41,119
what Năstase was bringing to the table,
350
00:27:41,119 --> 00:27:44,279
I don't think anybody
in the officialdom were prepared
351
00:27:44,279 --> 00:27:46,799
to help them understand
these players
352
00:27:46,799 --> 00:27:48,720
and what that behaviour was.
353
00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:54,279
Năstase, play on, please,
otherwise you are disqualified!
354
00:28:33,599 --> 00:28:37,720
People would say I never come to tennis,
I don't even know what it is,
355
00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:40,559
and yet, because of Năstase,
I'm coming out to watch.
356
00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:52,920
His match with Hans-Jürgen Pohmann
was the talk of the tennis world,
357
00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:54,799
during the first week at Forest Hills.
358
00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:58,160
Most considered it
the worst display of his career.
359
00:28:58,160 --> 00:29:00,799
{\an8}On the court, they say, he would losing it
360
00:29:00,799 --> 00:29:03,200
{\an8}and there were times
that it would get almost...
361
00:29:03,759 --> 00:29:08,079
Monster is a strong word, but there was
a very dark side that would come out.
362
00:29:09,519 --> 00:29:12,039
This is the first set.
The 6th point, the tie-breaker.
363
00:29:12,359 --> 00:29:13,960
This is when it all began.
364
00:29:14,279 --> 00:29:16,920
A shot by Năstase appeared
to have hit on the sideline.
365
00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:18,079
It was called out.
366
00:29:18,519 --> 00:29:21,279
It was on the line, the ball!
367
00:29:23,359 --> 00:29:25,680
Năstase's anger continues...
368
00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:29,079
Here comes a backhand
down the line, called good.
369
00:29:29,079 --> 00:29:31,200
This is by far
the longest delay of the match.
370
00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:34,240
The linesman
comes out to take a look.
371
00:29:34,799 --> 00:29:38,680
Now watch Năstase shout at him,
he uses bad language.
372
00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:42,160
More shouting, haranguing.
373
00:29:42,599 --> 00:29:45,759
He finally reaches over
and touches his arm, right there.
374
00:29:45,759 --> 00:29:48,079
Linesman says Hold it, the ball is good.
375
00:29:48,079 --> 00:29:50,319
He was wrong for two fucking balls!
376
00:29:55,880 --> 00:29:58,559
Pohmann's complaining about the delay,
377
00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:02,400
and now Ilie is complaining
about the linesman's calls.
378
00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:09,920
You're always on the edge
of your seat with Năstase.
379
00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:13,599
You're not sitting back and relaxing.
380
00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:16,559
He really brought the crowd in.
381
00:30:16,920 --> 00:30:20,039
Now Pohmann serving.
This is the first time he fell.
382
00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:24,519
He had leg cramps.
383
00:30:24,519 --> 00:30:25,559
Right here!
384
00:30:26,119 --> 00:30:28,759
The umpire thought he had
hurt himself badly,
385
00:30:28,759 --> 00:30:31,960
thought maybe he'd broken his leg,
you'll hear him call for a doctor.
386
00:30:32,880 --> 00:30:36,640
Pohmann refuses the doctor,
momentarily says I'm OK,
387
00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:38,400
wants to walk it off.
388
00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:42,519
Now here's a delay on Pohmann's part.
389
00:30:43,039 --> 00:30:46,359
The rules state you cannot get help
from a doctor for leg cramps.
390
00:30:46,359 --> 00:30:48,880
If you can't continue,
you're supposed to be defaulted.
391
00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:55,599
This is bad, he's saying:
Come on, play, play!
392
00:30:56,240 --> 00:30:58,039
Pohmann's in pain, but refuses to quit.
393
00:31:00,799 --> 00:31:03,400
He's down again!
This is the second time.
394
00:31:06,039 --> 00:31:09,599
{\an8}He definitely had
a way of riling things up.
395
00:31:09,599 --> 00:31:13,720
{\an8}I ballboyed at the Forest Hills
when he was playing,
396
00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:17,240
{\an8}for his match against Pohmann,
which was, like, a crazy match,
397
00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:21,160
and I was like
man, this guy's unbelievable!
398
00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:24,839
Unbelievably crazy!
But he sort of got away with it.
399
00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:31,039
Do you know the rules?
How many times he can stop the match?
400
00:31:31,440 --> 00:31:33,680
Twice he is down, the son of a bitch.
401
00:31:34,400 --> 00:31:36,599
Twice he is down!
Five minutes I waited!
402
00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:41,680
The crowd is angry with Năstase.
403
00:31:42,480 --> 00:31:46,319
Lady with thumbs down, and he
spits orange juice towards the crowd.
404
00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:11,519
Năstase is really upset.
405
00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:15,960
You know, Jack, if I were the umpire,
right now, I'd throw him out.
406
00:32:19,240 --> 00:32:21,880
When this is over,
the umpire and all the linespeople
407
00:32:21,880 --> 00:32:24,319
might go someplace
to have a nice quiet drink.
408
00:32:24,319 --> 00:32:26,880
{\an8}- Wouldn't you?
- I would think it'd be a double.
409
00:32:30,880 --> 00:32:32,519
Here's the winning volley.
410
00:32:32,880 --> 00:32:37,200
Now watch him yell, scream.
Now he spits in Pohmann's direction.
411
00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:40,119
Yells and throws the ball.
412
00:32:41,279 --> 00:32:45,680
Bad language. He wants to shake
the umpire's hand, umpire says no way.
413
00:32:50,160 --> 00:32:52,240
Now he comes back
to harangue Pohmann more.
414
00:32:52,240 --> 00:32:56,119
Your legs, your cramps?!
You were down twice.
415
00:32:56,440 --> 00:32:57,680
More bad language.
416
00:32:58,559 --> 00:33:00,480
Now you'll see him.
Another gesture.
417
00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:04,720
Now the doctor says to Năstase
Calm down, take it easy.
418
00:33:05,319 --> 00:33:07,799
You'll see him push the doctor.
Now watch.
419
00:33:07,799 --> 00:33:09,039
Fuck you too!
420
00:33:09,039 --> 00:33:10,799
Pushes and cusses him as well.
421
00:33:10,799 --> 00:33:13,160
Twice he was down. Twice!
422
00:33:13,839 --> 00:33:15,359
I just was born like that.
423
00:33:15,359 --> 00:33:19,319
I mean I cannot help it.
I'm trying sometimes, but it's not me.
424
00:33:20,920 --> 00:33:23,359
I get sick of trying
something which I don't like.
425
00:33:23,920 --> 00:33:25,200
Do you sleep well?
Do you sleep much?
426
00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:29,319
No, I'm very nervous.
I have to touch things when I...
427
00:33:29,319 --> 00:33:32,960
Even in interviews, or when I eat,
at the table I have to talk to people.
428
00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:36,000
I have so much energy, I have to spend it.
429
00:33:36,799 --> 00:33:38,279
So I'll always be like that.
430
00:33:39,920 --> 00:33:43,599
And sometimes on the court
I'm so emotional
431
00:33:44,039 --> 00:33:47,160
that I have to talk
with people or do things
432
00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:50,480
to get out of this.
433
00:34:15,119 --> 00:34:16,920
Now there are two left.
434
00:34:17,679 --> 00:34:19,039
Ashe and Năstase.
435
00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:22,360
Ashe had had this great run
beating Stan Smith in the quarterfinals.
436
00:34:22,760 --> 00:34:27,119
It looked like he was gonna
get that title, like he had the match won.
437
00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:31,719
{\an8}It was a challenge to try
to put some perspective on it,
438
00:34:32,039 --> 00:34:37,119
{\an8}because many of the things
that occurred were so different in nature
439
00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:42,400
that you had to draw an analysis
as to whether this was creative Năstase
440
00:34:42,880 --> 00:34:47,440
or whether he was doing something
that was so totally off the books
441
00:34:47,800 --> 00:34:50,320
that no one could
understand it at the time.
442
00:34:51,079 --> 00:34:53,519
- 15 - love.
- Correct call?
443
00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:57,559
Năstase asks the umpire:
Correct call?
444
00:34:57,559 --> 00:35:00,840
I can't put my finger on one moment
of Năstase doing something,
445
00:35:00,840 --> 00:35:02,920
but there were a number
of little outbursts.
446
00:35:04,519 --> 00:35:06,039
Now the advantage to Ashe.
447
00:35:08,119 --> 00:35:11,599
Ilie's trying to let us know
the airplanes are coming so close
448
00:35:11,599 --> 00:35:13,320
he can hardly hear himself think.
449
00:35:14,639 --> 00:35:16,360
They have airplanes in Bucharest.
450
00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:21,679
Dominique Grazia, she's a Belgian,
fiancée of Ilie Năstase.
451
00:35:22,159 --> 00:35:25,320
They split the first two sets,
then Ashe won a tie break on the third,
452
00:35:25,320 --> 00:35:28,280
it looked like that was going
to be the pendulum-swinging moment
453
00:35:28,280 --> 00:35:32,199
and he went up 3-1 in the fourth set
with a break point for 4-1,
454
00:35:32,199 --> 00:35:34,480
almost two breaks, didn't get it,
455
00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:35,800
still went ahead 4-2,
456
00:35:36,400 --> 00:35:39,320
then Năstase came back
and won that set, beat him in 5.
457
00:35:41,159 --> 00:35:43,880
{\an8}He has the match right here on his racket.
458
00:35:44,320 --> 00:35:46,800
The Open championship at match point.
459
00:35:50,760 --> 00:35:53,199
And he'll have to suffer
through a second serve.
460
00:35:59,440 --> 00:36:01,920
Hell of a shot, Ilie Năstase!
461
00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:05,000
Off of a net-caught ball!
462
00:36:06,679 --> 00:36:08,079
He is the champion!
463
00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:12,159
First major championship
title for Năstase.
464
00:36:12,559 --> 00:36:15,159
{\an8}The US Open 1972 is his!
465
00:36:16,519 --> 00:36:21,000
{\an8}Dominique says: We'll take the 25.000$
in 1$ bills and spread them around.
466
00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:25,079
{\an8}For Ilie, I'm sure, is really overcome
with what he's just accomplished.
467
00:36:25,880 --> 00:36:29,039
Dominique Grazia can't quite believe it.
468
00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:42,639
Yesterday I went back and
watched Năstase beat Gorman.
469
00:36:43,880 --> 00:36:45,440
Mister Năstase. Sorry.
470
00:36:46,960 --> 00:36:50,280
When the match went over,
Ashe said in the presentation ceremony
471
00:36:50,280 --> 00:36:51,800
Ilie is a great player,
472
00:36:51,800 --> 00:36:56,840
but someday he'll be even better
when he learns to behave better.
473
00:36:56,840 --> 00:37:00,760
Năstase, typically of him,
waved his winner's cheque at Ashe,
474
00:37:00,760 --> 00:37:03,599
as Arthur said that,
just to sort of poke fun at him.
475
00:37:06,960 --> 00:37:11,320
He had the body of a man,
he had something of the psyche of a man,
476
00:37:11,320 --> 00:37:16,559
and yet often his conduct
seemed to be like that of a...
477
00:37:16,960 --> 00:37:20,119
I don't mean it meanly,
but kind of a spoiled brat.
478
00:37:21,159 --> 00:37:25,480
He was the master of play.
He won Monte Carlo, he won Rome.
479
00:37:25,480 --> 00:37:29,320
He won the US Open, he won the French.
At that time, he was the best.
480
00:37:45,280 --> 00:37:49,679
Năstase wins the French Open,
taking home the first prize of 15,000$.
481
00:37:55,760 --> 00:37:59,199
This is the second major
championship title for Ilie.
482
00:38:01,119 --> 00:38:02,920
Will Wimbledon be next?
483
00:38:03,559 --> 00:38:08,960
Of course he was No. 1 in the world.
In 1973 and 1972 he won everything.
484
00:38:11,719 --> 00:38:15,239
We grew up watching him on TV.
I learned how to count, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
485
00:38:15,239 --> 00:38:18,639
I learned that Ilie Năstase
won this and this.
486
00:38:18,639 --> 00:38:21,000
He won the Masters many, many times.
487
00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:26,960
I believe that he did what he enjoyed,
488
00:38:26,960 --> 00:38:31,480
and managed to be unique,
an icon through how he lived.
489
00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:36,119
Being number one,
all the while being naughty
490
00:38:36,119 --> 00:38:38,159
and enjoying life...
491
00:38:39,079 --> 00:38:40,840
is there anything
more beautiful than that?
492
00:38:49,440 --> 00:38:52,000
{\an8}His hand-to-eye coordination
was unbelievable.
493
00:38:52,599 --> 00:38:55,679
He was a great athlete...
run, speed, everything.
494
00:38:55,679 --> 00:39:00,440
I mean, playing tennis was easier
for him than tying your shoelaces.
495
00:39:18,920 --> 00:39:22,239
...some wonderful plays by Năstase
and a remarkable performance,
496
00:39:22,239 --> 00:39:25,599
to win the Masters title
four times in five years.
497
00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:28,559
He is the first player
to achieve this incredible feat.
498
00:40:05,800 --> 00:40:08,360
In our time, my time, Ilie's time,
499
00:40:08,360 --> 00:40:11,559
{\an8}I think you had more personalities.
500
00:40:12,760 --> 00:40:15,840
You could relate
to different plays on the court,
501
00:40:16,719 --> 00:40:19,360
like myself, Ilie, Vilas...
502
00:40:19,679 --> 00:40:22,360
in different ways compared to today.
503
00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:32,639
We meant the human sides.
504
00:40:32,639 --> 00:40:36,039
They were much more human,
today they are much more machine.
505
00:40:36,400 --> 00:40:39,599
It's difficult also
for the journalist to build
506
00:40:40,079 --> 00:40:43,800
{\an8}a friendship or
a communication with the players.
507
00:40:44,159 --> 00:40:47,639
I saw him playing an unforgettable match
against Arthur Ashe.
508
00:40:47,639 --> 00:40:51,920
That was the only match in history
where both players lost.
509
00:40:52,320 --> 00:40:55,320
Because that never happened
before and afterwards.
510
00:41:07,320 --> 00:41:10,599
At the time,
I was a referee for the event.
511
00:41:11,119 --> 00:41:13,400
{\an8}And somebody came to me and said:
512
00:41:13,760 --> 00:41:17,360
{\an8}Please go down to the locker rooms,
something is happening there.
513
00:41:18,280 --> 00:41:20,400
Ilie is trying to irritate Arthur.
514
00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:24,199
I went down and I saw...
515
00:41:25,119 --> 00:41:28,280
that Arthur Ashe
was trying to comb his hair,
516
00:41:28,679 --> 00:41:32,440
and suddenly Ilie came from his side:
517
00:41:32,800 --> 00:41:37,280
"Negroni, you don't have
such nice hair as I have here!
518
00:41:37,719 --> 00:41:39,199
"So get off here!"
519
00:41:41,079 --> 00:41:42,960
Nasty, who's making
a movie of you now?
520
00:41:43,280 --> 00:41:46,400
No, they don't make a movie,
it's just for a television here.
521
00:41:49,760 --> 00:41:53,599
My friend, Negroni is my best friend
in the whole America!
522
00:41:53,599 --> 00:41:55,920
Nobody else talks to you, that's why.
523
00:41:57,400 --> 00:42:01,519
{\an8}Billie Jean King and Arthur Ashe, the two
most important tennis players of all time.
524
00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:04,519
{\an8}Because they went beyond tennis.
525
00:42:05,199 --> 00:42:09,679
There you go. And then you have, maybe,
a few crazy people along the way.
526
00:42:09,679 --> 00:42:13,840
Ilie would be someone
who's very passionate, very soulful,
527
00:42:14,159 --> 00:42:16,400
and when you're passionate, things...
528
00:42:16,920 --> 00:42:19,360
And you can't help it.
529
00:42:36,360 --> 00:42:39,880
He is also making mistakes.
Why don't you give him a warning too?
530
00:42:41,360 --> 00:42:43,719
If you give me a warning
give one to him too.
531
00:42:45,119 --> 00:42:47,840
{\an8}You always knew that something
was gonna happen.
532
00:42:48,199 --> 00:42:51,440
{\an8}He's gonna blow up,
or something to try to make you mad.
533
00:42:51,840 --> 00:42:57,039
And I had no problem with that, I only
had a problem if the referee didn't...
534
00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:02,960
control the match,
sometimes the umpires at that time,
535
00:43:03,280 --> 00:43:06,119
they were a bit afraid of some players.
536
00:43:06,119 --> 00:43:08,840
They were a little bit
afraid of Ilie as well, I think.
537
00:43:10,559 --> 00:43:11,480
15 - 40.
538
00:43:16,480 --> 00:43:17,719
First service.
539
00:43:19,760 --> 00:43:21,599
- First service.
- Why?
540
00:43:22,320 --> 00:43:23,719
- Why?
- Let.
541
00:43:23,719 --> 00:43:24,719
When?
542
00:43:27,840 --> 00:43:28,840
Let?
543
00:43:29,360 --> 00:43:32,119
- Arthur wasn't ready.
- Not my fault, my friend.
544
00:43:32,119 --> 00:43:37,000
{\an8}Ashe was leading 4-0-1 in the final set,
with 15-40 lead and Năstase serving,
545
00:43:37,000 --> 00:43:38,639
to make it 5-1.
546
00:43:38,639 --> 00:43:41,280
Every time Năstase started to serve,
547
00:43:42,440 --> 00:43:46,440
he kept looking up and saying:
Are you ready, Mr. Ashe? Are you ready?
548
00:43:48,639 --> 00:43:51,280
Give him a warning
if he's not ready all the time.
549
00:43:54,119 --> 00:43:55,760
15-40.
First service.
550
00:43:56,119 --> 00:43:57,960
- No. 30-40.
- Come on!
551
00:43:58,480 --> 00:43:59,519
Shut up.
552
00:44:06,360 --> 00:44:08,440
It's not my fault
he's not ready all the time.
553
00:44:09,920 --> 00:44:11,519
Play now.
554
00:44:11,519 --> 00:44:14,639
I'll play, but it's not my fault
he's not ready all the time.
555
00:44:25,880 --> 00:44:27,559
And I said "Uh-oh."
556
00:44:28,000 --> 00:44:32,000
At that time, the rules were not so clear
as they are now.
557
00:44:32,639 --> 00:44:37,719
All the rules were in 10 little chapters,
558
00:44:38,239 --> 00:44:39,920
on three pages.
559
00:44:51,159 --> 00:44:52,599
Ready, Mr. Ashe?
560
00:44:58,679 --> 00:44:59,920
- One?
- Play, play!
561
00:45:00,880 --> 00:45:01,840
Yes, Ma'am.
562
00:45:04,239 --> 00:45:06,360
Please be quiet.
Thank you.
563
00:45:07,559 --> 00:45:08,840
15-40.
First service.
564
00:45:09,320 --> 00:45:10,360
Yes, Ma'am.
565
00:45:22,480 --> 00:45:24,800
Năstase,
you are already warned.
566
00:45:26,400 --> 00:45:27,320
Play now.
567
00:45:29,159 --> 00:45:31,719
And this happens three or four times.
568
00:45:32,440 --> 00:45:37,280
And, unfortunately, the chair umpire
didn't interfere immediately.
569
00:45:37,800 --> 00:45:40,800
Only after the third time, he said:
570
00:45:40,800 --> 00:45:44,559
"Please go on, Mr. Năstase,
play has to be continuous."
571
00:45:58,000 --> 00:45:59,000
Go, play!
572
00:46:01,119 --> 00:46:03,199
Yes, Sir!
Unbelievable!
573
00:46:03,880 --> 00:46:05,880
Umpire, he's talking to me!
574
00:46:07,599 --> 00:46:10,960
{\an8}Something in me snapped,
I just couldn't take it anymore.
575
00:46:11,679 --> 00:46:15,760
I waited and waited,
and he was warned two times on the court,
576
00:46:16,519 --> 00:46:19,599
then, finally,
I said I'm not taking it anymore.
577
00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:22,159
That's that, I'm leaving.
578
00:46:32,480 --> 00:46:34,519
The referee immediately defaulted Ashe,
579
00:46:35,119 --> 00:46:37,960
and Ashe said
"I'm out of here before you default me."
580
00:46:37,960 --> 00:46:40,000
"It's not a real default, I quit",
and he walked off.
581
00:46:40,400 --> 00:46:41,599
The referee defaulted him,
582
00:46:41,599 --> 00:46:44,000
then immediately defaulted
Năstase screaming
583
00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:46,000
"Why can he do that?"
584
00:46:46,400 --> 00:46:49,079
So the referee defaulted Năstase.
585
00:46:49,079 --> 00:46:53,079
You know, within two minutes,
they're both defaulted, the match is over.
586
00:46:53,599 --> 00:46:57,679
{\an8}The funny part was 24 hours later
they reinstated both of them,
587
00:46:57,679 --> 00:47:00,159
{\an8}into the tournament,
588
00:47:00,159 --> 00:47:04,800
{\an8}because they couldn't have the guys
both going out, there was no round robin.
589
00:47:08,599 --> 00:47:11,960
{\an8}Do you think you are missing some rules
when such things happen?
590
00:47:13,079 --> 00:47:18,119
{\an8}Certainly, we are having a meeting
of the Professional Council this week.
591
00:47:18,559 --> 00:47:23,239
One of the major items on the agenda
is a code of conduct for tennis players.
592
00:47:23,559 --> 00:47:27,639
If a player commits
a gross infraction of the rules,
593
00:47:28,639 --> 00:47:31,840
very gross, maybe you take
a set away from him.
594
00:47:32,920 --> 00:47:37,119
I would have them, yesterday,
rather than default Năstase,
595
00:47:37,760 --> 00:47:40,280
when he is serving at 1-4, 15-40,
596
00:47:40,760 --> 00:47:43,159
just say to him
"It's 1-5, 15-40."
597
00:47:43,599 --> 00:47:47,960
{\an8}Arthur Ashe helped
write the code of conduct,
598
00:47:48,400 --> 00:47:50,360
writing 500 pages,
599
00:47:51,000 --> 00:47:53,280
which were afterwards reduced,
600
00:47:54,320 --> 00:47:57,440
or 500 pages of notes,
601
00:47:57,920 --> 00:48:00,960
because he had experiences
with Năstase of all kinds!
602
00:48:01,400 --> 00:48:05,159
{\an8}If he sees me in the locker room
or something, he'll go...
603
00:48:05,880 --> 00:48:08,320
{\an8}It sounds crazy, but this is Năstase.
604
00:48:08,679 --> 00:48:10,800
{\an8}I don't think of him as a man.
605
00:48:10,800 --> 00:48:13,519
{\an8}I think of him as
30 years old, going on 10.
606
00:48:14,000 --> 00:48:16,000
{\an8}Something's gonna have to be done.
607
00:48:16,480 --> 00:48:19,000
{\an8}A couple of guys should
jump over the net and threaten him.
608
00:48:19,400 --> 00:48:22,800
{\an8}Listen, Ilie, I want a nice match,
just go out and play tennis,
609
00:48:22,800 --> 00:48:27,400
{\an8}but if you start pulling the crap
you've pulled against others,
610
00:48:27,400 --> 00:48:30,079
I'm not gonna tell you when,
but I'm gonna deck you.
611
00:48:30,079 --> 00:48:34,960
The good thing about playing Năstase is
there's a chance he'll get defaulted.
612
00:48:35,519 --> 00:48:38,679
So you want to hang in there,
there's no telling when he'll go crazy.
613
00:48:39,639 --> 00:48:41,920
Are you going to behave
better in the future?
614
00:48:42,719 --> 00:48:44,039
Do you think I'm bad?
615
00:48:45,440 --> 00:48:48,000
We need a code of conduct
so it's absolutely laid down
616
00:48:48,000 --> 00:48:51,840
what happens when
one does this and one does that.
617
00:48:52,639 --> 00:48:56,239
I'm saying if they want me
to be perfect or professional,
618
00:48:56,239 --> 00:48:58,480
I want the umpire to be professional.
619
00:48:59,079 --> 00:49:00,320
That's all I'm asking.
620
00:49:19,679 --> 00:49:21,320
Do you feel different from normal people?
621
00:49:21,760 --> 00:49:24,840
No, I don't realise
who I am or what I'm doing.
622
00:49:25,400 --> 00:49:27,920
Everyday I'm involved in the game so...
623
00:49:31,320 --> 00:49:35,239
So the next morning I saw in
the breakfast room of the Grand Hotel
624
00:49:35,599 --> 00:49:41,639
Arthur sitting close to the windows,
and suddenly I saw a kind of...
625
00:49:42,679 --> 00:49:48,039
a big bunch of flowers moving
through the tables there,
626
00:49:48,639 --> 00:49:51,079
and behind these big flowers was...
627
00:49:52,039 --> 00:49:53,480
Ilie Năstase.
628
00:49:54,400 --> 00:49:55,519
Going like this,
629
00:49:56,599 --> 00:49:58,840
approaching Arthur's table,
630
00:49:59,320 --> 00:50:01,719
taking the flowers and saying:
631
00:50:02,800 --> 00:50:04,719
"Mr. Ashe, I apologise."
632
00:50:05,159 --> 00:50:08,800
After last night,
when you left in an temper,
633
00:50:09,159 --> 00:50:11,239
when did you start talking to Năstase?
634
00:50:11,239 --> 00:50:14,599
We started talking
in the locker rooms!
635
00:50:16,519 --> 00:50:20,599
Look, between Năstase and myself,
it will blow over in five to ten...
636
00:50:21,360 --> 00:50:22,920
Five or ten days.
637
00:50:23,880 --> 00:50:25,519
That's just the way he is.
638
00:50:25,519 --> 00:50:28,360
I just decided I wasn't
going to take it on the court.
639
00:50:28,360 --> 00:50:30,360
Off the court it's something else.
640
00:50:30,360 --> 00:50:32,679
I just said hello to him
five minutes ago.
641
00:50:33,159 --> 00:50:36,679
I cannot be like Ashe, for instance.
Or Ashe cannot be like me.
642
00:50:36,679 --> 00:50:39,400
So why do you want me to change now,
when I'm 30?
643
00:50:40,639 --> 00:50:44,239
Well, you know,
he did call Arthur Negroni,
644
00:50:44,239 --> 00:50:47,840
{\an8}and today if he did that he'd be...
you know, put in jail.
645
00:50:51,920 --> 00:50:54,159
{\an8}Tennis great
Serena Williams is speaking out
646
00:50:54,159 --> 00:50:56,719
{\an8}against another legendary
star of the sport,
647
00:50:56,719 --> 00:51:01,239
{\an8}accused of making a shocking remark
about her unborn child.
648
00:51:02,360 --> 00:51:06,280
Controversy struck the ITF
press conference on Friday.
649
00:51:06,599 --> 00:51:11,280
{\an8}Romanian team captain Ilie Năstase,
once a No. 1 tennis star himself,
650
00:51:11,280 --> 00:51:14,400
is now facing serious backlash
after he was overheard
651
00:51:14,400 --> 00:51:16,400
making racially insensitive remarks.
652
00:51:16,719 --> 00:51:21,039
Năstase allegedly said "Let's see
what color it has, chocolate with milk?"
653
00:51:21,039 --> 00:51:23,559
{\an8}His words have ignited
a firestorm of criticism,
654
00:51:23,559 --> 00:51:26,639
{\an8}with many condemning
Năstase's inappropriate comment.
655
00:51:27,280 --> 00:51:29,400
I think it's a good thing for her...
656
00:51:30,039 --> 00:51:32,119
Let's see what color the baby will be!
657
00:51:32,119 --> 00:51:35,480
It's nice to have a kid, in my opinion.
658
00:51:36,400 --> 00:51:40,199
Serena Williams, who had recently
shared her pregnancy through a selfie,
659
00:51:40,519 --> 00:51:42,320
slammed Năstase on Instagram.
660
00:51:42,760 --> 00:51:45,000
In a powerful quote, she stated:
661
00:51:45,000 --> 00:51:48,760
"It disappoints me to know we live in
a society where people like Ilie Năstase
662
00:51:49,159 --> 00:51:52,840
"can make such racist comments
towards myself and an unborn child."
663
00:51:53,519 --> 00:51:57,960
{\an8}I know he didn't mean it in a bad way,
I've known him a long time.
664
00:51:58,559 --> 00:52:05,119
{\an8}But I told him to think twice
before he makes such remarks.
665
00:52:09,519 --> 00:52:14,079
{\an8}I think it hurts him to be
in the middle of this kind of story,
666
00:52:14,079 --> 00:52:15,639
{\an8}because that's not him.
667
00:52:15,639 --> 00:52:20,280
{\an8}You know, things have changed since
what he would say and get away with.
668
00:52:20,800 --> 00:52:24,119
You just have to be
more cautious in what you say,
669
00:52:24,119 --> 00:52:26,480
and hopefully he learned his lesson.
670
00:52:26,480 --> 00:52:31,320
He unfortunately got involved saying
some things where we would say...
671
00:52:32,159 --> 00:52:34,679
"That's just the way he was,
that's the way he is."
672
00:52:35,880 --> 00:52:38,000
But, you know,
you just can't do that today.
673
00:52:39,760 --> 00:52:42,280
He made stupid comments all the time,
674
00:52:42,639 --> 00:52:46,679
{\an8}but we used to go "That's Năstase,
don't worry about it, that's Nasty."
675
00:52:47,039 --> 00:52:50,760
But deep down I know the essence
of who he is, he's got a good heart.
676
00:53:01,079 --> 00:53:02,039
Hey, Commie, how are you?
677
00:53:02,400 --> 00:53:05,679
Commie sounded
nicer than Communist.
678
00:53:07,440 --> 00:53:13,719
We were friends, it didn't matter
that one guy was from South Africa,
679
00:53:13,719 --> 00:53:16,679
another from Kenya or the US.
We were all equal.
680
00:53:17,559 --> 00:53:20,280
In the locker rooms,
we were all the same.
681
00:53:21,280 --> 00:53:24,679
He had names for all his rivals,
Tom Okker he'd call Omelette,
682
00:53:24,679 --> 00:53:26,079
like cheese omelette.
683
00:53:26,079 --> 00:53:27,880
He'd call Stan Smith Godzilla,
684
00:53:28,400 --> 00:53:32,360
he'd call Arthur Ashe, who was
of course an African-American, Negroni.
685
00:53:32,880 --> 00:53:35,119
He'd kid Jimmy Connor,
call him a baby,
686
00:53:35,119 --> 00:53:37,320
"you want your mummy to hold
your hand?"
687
00:53:37,320 --> 00:53:38,480
It was funny.
688
00:53:38,480 --> 00:53:42,400
He calls me crazy, he calls me a goon,
he calls me a lot of things.
689
00:53:42,400 --> 00:53:44,360
Am I gonna take offense at that?
690
00:53:44,360 --> 00:53:48,679
I called him Nasty, I even
sometimes called him Dad. Hey, Dad!
691
00:53:48,679 --> 00:53:51,079
I called him Gypsy,
he called me Russian.
692
00:53:52,000 --> 00:53:54,480
Yeah, that was him.
He had a nickname for everybody.
693
00:53:55,039 --> 00:53:58,840
He'd come in and say it
and nobody would think twice about it.
694
00:53:59,159 --> 00:54:02,480
But all the guys used
to still love him for this,
695
00:54:02,480 --> 00:54:05,039
because he was so friendly off the court.
696
00:54:07,039 --> 00:54:10,920
{\an8}We didn't have any money in the old days,
we couldn't afford a coach.
697
00:54:11,639 --> 00:54:13,199
{\an8}so we helped each other.
698
00:54:13,840 --> 00:54:16,559
We would eat together,
talk about tennis all the time,
699
00:54:16,559 --> 00:54:19,679
So we were all very close
and everybody knew each other.
700
00:54:19,679 --> 00:54:23,519
Because we didn't have a team of people
around us to insulate us.
701
00:54:23,840 --> 00:54:26,199
We weren't insulated, we didn't have that.
702
00:54:26,199 --> 00:54:28,800
So we had to rely on
each other like family.
703
00:54:29,719 --> 00:54:32,079
Năstase was too much for me.
704
00:54:35,159 --> 00:54:38,280
He was too fast for me,
the way he played...
705
00:54:39,320 --> 00:54:42,280
- He played like--
- I'm not fast!
706
00:54:45,440 --> 00:54:46,800
I believe he is...
707
00:54:47,559 --> 00:54:49,840
- Have you ever defeated him?
- Never.
708
00:54:49,840 --> 00:54:53,199
- The day will come.
- Yes, for sure!
709
00:54:53,519 --> 00:54:57,079
{\an8}I remember we went to
the cinema in Paris, for example,
710
00:54:57,519 --> 00:55:00,159
{\an8}we went to the shows,
Champs-Élysées,
711
00:55:00,559 --> 00:55:03,639
sometimes it happened like this,
we were helping each other.
712
00:55:03,639 --> 00:55:08,239
I practiced with Orantes,
with Ilie, we practiced on Mondays,
713
00:55:08,239 --> 00:55:10,639
then we played
semifinals against each other.
714
00:55:11,159 --> 00:55:13,639
Today, this is not possible.
715
00:55:14,760 --> 00:55:16,800
Everybody was pretty much
the same at the time,
716
00:55:16,800 --> 00:55:20,239
there weren't any special
places for the top players,
717
00:55:20,239 --> 00:55:24,199
so even in the locker rooms,
you still had players sort of...
718
00:55:24,760 --> 00:55:29,239
in their section of the lockers,
but players were together quite a bit.
719
00:55:30,000 --> 00:55:32,199
It was a little more friendly, in an way,
720
00:55:32,760 --> 00:55:35,599
everybody was pretty much
treated the same, so it was...
721
00:55:35,920 --> 00:55:38,119
I think it was more fun at that time,
722
00:55:38,119 --> 00:55:42,599
I think they're losing some of
that camaraderie that you had in general.
723
00:55:43,199 --> 00:55:48,719
{\an8}After training, in the evening...
Mr. Năstase here was the same as ever.
724
00:55:48,719 --> 00:55:52,239
In the evening, 7 or 8 of us
would go to a pizzeria.
725
00:55:52,679 --> 00:55:54,440
Năstase, pay for your pizza.
726
00:55:54,800 --> 00:55:59,559
Ion, you know I never have money.
To this day, I haven't seen that money.
727
00:56:00,039 --> 00:56:01,800
Can I have a loan?
728
00:56:01,800 --> 00:56:05,239
We all contributed a dollar or two.
729
00:56:06,159 --> 00:56:08,719
Or francs, whatever it was.
730
00:56:09,039 --> 00:56:13,400
We bought 5 pizzas
and shared them between 8 or 9 of us.
731
00:56:13,920 --> 00:56:15,679
The next day, we were friends.
732
00:56:16,079 --> 00:56:19,599
These two were absolutely
from another planet.
733
00:56:20,679 --> 00:56:23,400
They won't make them
like that again. Never.
734
00:56:24,000 --> 00:56:26,719
That can't exist in today's tennis.
735
00:56:28,119 --> 00:56:30,440
These are people who
have traveled without a coach.
736
00:56:31,719 --> 00:56:35,000
{\an8}You have to understand
they grew without a coach,
737
00:56:35,000 --> 00:56:36,599
they trained each other.
738
00:56:37,039 --> 00:56:39,280
{\an8}We depended on one another, you know.
739
00:56:39,679 --> 00:56:44,440
To travel together, to warm up together
and be there for one another.
740
00:56:44,760 --> 00:56:47,920
So yes,
there was a very close fraternity
741
00:56:48,480 --> 00:56:52,360
and likewise,
as we moved into the mid-70s,
742
00:56:52,360 --> 00:56:54,599
when tennis prospered.
743
00:56:55,920 --> 00:56:59,480
Mixed doubles was made for
a showman of Ilie Năstase's gifts.
744
00:57:06,960 --> 00:57:09,159
{\an8}We all wanted to dress like him.
745
00:57:09,159 --> 00:57:11,960
{\an8}because he was
the first one wearing colours
746
00:57:11,960 --> 00:57:16,840
and he was wearing these wristbands,
sometimes Romanian wristbands,
747
00:57:17,480 --> 00:57:19,840
that looked like my rasta wristbands.
748
00:57:20,239 --> 00:57:24,639
He had this elegance about him
and yes, you could tell he was real.
749
00:57:25,239 --> 00:57:27,199
Because he was talking the truth.
750
00:57:27,639 --> 00:57:30,679
Sometimes using bad words,
which was great, we loved it.
751
00:57:30,679 --> 00:57:33,000
Watching it, it was, like, bad!
752
00:57:37,159 --> 00:57:39,960
There were a lot of characters back then,
it was a great time in tennis.
753
00:57:39,960 --> 00:57:42,119
{\an8}Because of people like...
754
00:57:43,119 --> 00:57:47,360
{\an8}Năstase was one of those people
who opened it up, like whoa!
755
00:57:48,159 --> 00:57:52,639
This isn't just, like, the Country Club,
this is a little different.
756
00:57:58,079 --> 00:58:00,519
Năstase could be hilarious.
757
00:58:02,119 --> 00:58:06,840
{\an8}The thing about Nasty was
he had the innate timing of a clown.
758
00:58:07,800 --> 00:58:10,719
{\an8}To be a good clown, it's all about timing.
759
00:58:20,679 --> 00:58:26,039
I have the opportunity of introducing
maybe one of the best matches here,
760
00:58:26,039 --> 00:58:27,480
at Forest Hills.
761
00:58:27,480 --> 00:58:31,559
First, from Romania,
the great Ilie Năstase!
762
00:58:37,480 --> 00:58:40,320
And also, from Rhode Island,
763
00:58:41,159 --> 00:58:45,639
one of the future greats
of the game, Franklin Telly!
764
00:59:08,159 --> 00:59:09,119
Out!
765
00:59:11,519 --> 00:59:12,880
15 - all.
766
00:59:14,239 --> 00:59:16,960
Arey ou trying to make a monkey
out of me?
767
00:59:25,960 --> 00:59:29,280
You know your problem?
You are too temperamental!
768
00:59:30,000 --> 00:59:31,599
Let's play serious now.
769
01:00:17,760 --> 01:00:19,199
Wimbledon, 1975.
770
01:00:19,760 --> 01:00:24,039
Nasty hadn't liked this lineswoman's call,
so he asked to have her moved.
771
01:00:24,559 --> 01:00:28,280
His request was granted
and, gallantly, he carried her chair.
772
01:00:29,639 --> 01:00:33,599
{\an8}Those were exactly his jokes.
He was like a child, you know.
773
01:00:34,239 --> 01:00:37,599
This means two balls in a let call.
This means one ball.
774
01:00:37,599 --> 01:00:39,440
So you take it however you like.
775
01:00:45,800 --> 01:00:47,079
Listen.
776
01:00:47,800 --> 01:00:49,039
Listen carefully.
777
01:00:49,679 --> 01:00:51,119
If you want to film me,
778
01:00:52,280 --> 01:00:54,719
you need to pay,
you and your friend.
779
01:00:57,400 --> 01:00:58,320
How much?
780
01:00:59,639 --> 01:01:02,599
I am very expensive. Too expensive.
781
01:01:13,800 --> 01:01:18,039
{\an8}First of all, it was at the Hilton,
I think, and they gave us a room.
782
01:01:18,400 --> 01:01:22,719
{\an8}Eddie Dibbs' birthday, is that the one
he's talking about? With the cake?
783
01:01:23,280 --> 01:01:24,519
Oh boy.
784
01:01:24,840 --> 01:01:26,519
Well, we were grown-up children.
785
01:01:26,960 --> 01:01:28,400
I don't know if he told you this.
786
01:01:28,400 --> 01:01:33,199
There had to be 30 people there,
my wife and Eddie's girlfriend and...
787
01:01:33,519 --> 01:01:36,639
Nasty and Borg were there.
788
01:01:36,639 --> 01:01:40,840
So we said, Nasty, we gotta
do something, we gotta get him a cake.
789
01:01:40,840 --> 01:01:43,639
And they brought out
a huge cake for my birthday.
790
01:01:44,000 --> 01:01:46,800
And there were two or three candles on it.
791
01:01:46,800 --> 01:01:50,840
And I'm standing on one side
and I go Eddie, blow out the candles!
792
01:01:50,840 --> 01:01:53,559
So me, like an idiot, not thinking,
793
01:01:53,880 --> 01:01:56,440
I go blow out the candles,
and as I bend down...
794
01:01:56,760 --> 01:01:58,719
I take his head and
push his head in the cake.
795
01:01:59,119 --> 01:02:03,559
Bang! Sticks my head
completely stuffed in it, like that!
796
01:02:04,320 --> 01:02:08,320
Then I looked up, I couldn't even see,
I was covered with cake.
797
01:02:08,320 --> 01:02:13,440
And that turned into probably
the best food fight I've ever been in.
798
01:02:13,760 --> 01:02:15,800
Within five seconds,
799
01:02:16,519 --> 01:02:18,800
the whole room was flying with stuff.
800
01:02:19,199 --> 01:02:20,679
The whole room...
801
01:02:21,119 --> 01:02:25,960
You had to hide under the table, 'cause
chairs were flying, everything was flying!
802
01:02:25,960 --> 01:02:28,840
That room was a mess.
It was a mess, and...
803
01:02:30,440 --> 01:02:32,920
One of us had to clean it up.
That was me.
804
01:02:40,320 --> 01:02:44,519
The bad boys, yeah, I love them.
I love Jimmy and Năstase together.
805
01:02:45,159 --> 01:02:49,599
The connection between Jimmy Connors
and Ilie Năstase was crazy.
806
01:02:50,320 --> 01:02:52,719
Because they went
over the limit sometimes.
807
01:02:53,519 --> 01:02:58,360
The two of them connected because
they were kindred spirits in many ways.
808
01:02:59,119 --> 01:03:02,559
Both of them became kind of...
not who I wanted to be,
809
01:03:02,559 --> 01:03:05,639
but they were the main
reason why I was watching tennis.
810
01:03:06,360 --> 01:03:10,159
Jimbo!
They were known as the Nasty Boys.
811
01:03:10,480 --> 01:03:15,119
They dressed alike, they put on
those big long socks, they came out...
812
01:03:16,199 --> 01:03:18,760
Started playing some
doubles together, I believe.
813
01:03:18,760 --> 01:03:21,719
{\an8}I mean, Ilie and Jimmy, they kind of...
814
01:03:22,280 --> 01:03:24,320
{\an8}made tennis cool, in a way,
815
01:03:24,320 --> 01:03:25,440
where it wasn't
816
01:03:27,400 --> 01:03:31,000
only the white men's sport wearing
white clothes, not saying anything,
817
01:03:31,320 --> 01:03:33,159
but suddenly it became
a little bit of rock 'n' roll.
818
01:03:34,280 --> 01:03:36,760
The ball was on the line!
819
01:03:38,960 --> 01:03:39,960
On the line!
820
01:03:43,519 --> 01:03:46,719
The ball was on the line,
It touched the chalk.
821
01:03:47,199 --> 01:03:48,360
It was on the line!
822
01:03:48,679 --> 01:03:50,800
{\an8}On the court, they were...
823
01:03:51,719 --> 01:03:53,360
{\an8}Completely nuts altogether!
824
01:03:53,360 --> 01:03:56,239
{\an8}I remember some matches they had
at the US Open that were...
825
01:03:56,639 --> 01:03:57,559
a nightmare!
826
01:04:01,519 --> 01:04:04,320
In the doubles final,
Tom Okker and Marty Riessen
827
01:04:04,320 --> 01:04:06,920
lost to the flamboyant
Năstase and Connors
828
01:04:06,920 --> 01:04:09,480
in some of the wildest tennis in years.
829
01:04:21,519 --> 01:04:25,079
Jimmy Connors, a few words
for Romanian television, may I?
830
01:04:25,440 --> 01:04:28,599
- What would You like me to say?
- Only a few words.
831
01:04:29,119 --> 01:04:30,840
Your intentions in the future.
832
01:04:31,400 --> 01:04:34,039
I will play some more
doubles with Năstase,
833
01:04:34,039 --> 01:04:36,920
I hope we can win at Wimbledon,
or Forest Hills once again.
834
01:04:52,440 --> 01:04:55,440
Oh yes, he was a mentor,
and oh yes, he influenced me.
835
01:04:55,840 --> 01:04:59,639
And I say this from the heart because,
you know, some good, some bad.
836
01:04:59,639 --> 01:05:02,239
But that was my choice.
837
01:05:02,719 --> 01:05:05,719
And we became more than that. Friends.
838
01:05:06,199 --> 01:05:07,440
Do you think I'm tired?
839
01:05:08,880 --> 01:05:09,880
No.
840
01:05:10,599 --> 01:05:12,199
He's the one who is tired!
841
01:05:22,920 --> 01:05:25,920
- Come on, boy, let's go!
- I'm going, I'm going.
842
01:05:36,519 --> 01:05:40,840
When he says I'm part of his family,
that, to me, is the best.
843
01:05:41,199 --> 01:05:44,960
That's the best, because
we've been through more than just...
844
01:05:45,880 --> 01:05:46,800
tennis together.
845
01:05:55,199 --> 01:05:57,480
I mean,
Jimmy was the best at the US Open.
846
01:05:57,920 --> 01:06:02,079
But Năstase, because he's Romanian
and he's not from a huge country,
847
01:06:02,440 --> 01:06:06,159
he represents everybody
who's not from the USA or UK.
848
01:06:06,800 --> 01:06:09,159
{\an8}If you're from
a smaller country, you know,
849
01:06:09,599 --> 01:06:11,400
{\an8}you're probably gonna want Năstase,
850
01:06:12,000 --> 01:06:15,159
you can feel it's
the big guys versus the little guys.
851
01:06:15,559 --> 01:06:19,960
And Năstase was a big reason
our sport grew so much.
852
01:06:21,000 --> 01:06:24,119
I always liked Jimmy Connors' comment.
853
01:06:24,440 --> 01:06:27,039
"I could never figure out
how hard he'd hit the ball,
854
01:06:27,440 --> 01:06:29,039
"then I realised he didn't know either."
855
01:06:29,480 --> 01:06:33,039
{\an8}Ilie Năstase was the rockstar of his time.
856
01:06:33,360 --> 01:06:36,840
And no question that
Ilie Năstase helped the brand.
857
01:06:37,320 --> 01:06:42,920
What he did was... he gave us
credibility with elite athletes.
858
01:06:42,920 --> 01:06:45,519
That is hard to get, and we got it.
859
01:06:45,880 --> 01:06:49,719
Three months into the brand, we had
the No. 1 tennis player in the world.
860
01:06:50,079 --> 01:06:53,559
He had won the US Open and
the French Open and was flamboyant.
861
01:06:54,280 --> 01:06:57,119
It just set the tone for
our whole tennis business.
862
01:06:57,840 --> 01:07:01,760
We immediately followed him with
his doubles partner, Jimmy Connors.
863
01:07:01,760 --> 01:07:06,199
He wasn't ranked as high as Ilie
at that time, so we signed him for 5,000.
864
01:07:06,199 --> 01:07:09,360
But it led to a tennis... ethos, really.
865
01:07:10,000 --> 01:07:13,760
That led to McEnroe, Billy Jean King,
Sampras and Agassi
866
01:07:14,119 --> 01:07:16,920
and Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz.
867
01:07:16,920 --> 01:07:18,880
It was all started by Ilie Năstase.
868
01:07:20,840 --> 01:07:24,840
I think I was fortunate
to be a tennis player.
869
01:07:25,239 --> 01:07:28,440
Especially in this period, you know.
870
01:07:29,039 --> 01:07:32,079
Because players like
Pancho Gonzáles and Segura,
871
01:07:32,559 --> 01:07:34,400
maybe they are
better players than we are,
872
01:07:34,880 --> 01:07:38,360
but they didn't win any money,
or they did, but less than we win now.
873
01:07:38,360 --> 01:07:42,159
{\an8}A few of them were traveling with
their wives or with their girlfriends,
874
01:07:42,519 --> 01:07:45,840
{\an8}but the majority of the players
couldn't afford taking another person,
875
01:07:46,159 --> 01:07:48,440
so they just travelled on their own.
876
01:07:48,440 --> 01:07:52,320
So they interacted with each other
a lot more than they do today.
877
01:07:52,320 --> 01:07:55,119
{\an8}For us Eastern Europeans
it was not possible
878
01:07:55,119 --> 01:07:59,159
{\an8}that parents would follow me to Paris,
or follow me to Wimbledon,
879
01:07:59,159 --> 01:08:01,360
because they couldn't travel.
880
01:08:01,360 --> 01:08:03,079
So, for example,
881
01:08:04,159 --> 01:08:08,840
when I was in Wimbledon or in France,
my parents weren't there.
882
01:08:09,360 --> 01:08:14,239
{\an8}Back then, for US tournaments,
we needed an invitation.
883
01:08:15,320 --> 01:08:17,960
Ilie asked Edy McGoldrick
884
01:08:18,520 --> 01:08:22,159
to invite Mariana Simionescu
and I to the US circuit.
885
01:08:22,720 --> 01:08:24,039
That's how I started.
886
01:08:24,039 --> 01:08:27,039
Of course, later
Ion Ţiriac became my manager,
887
01:08:27,520 --> 01:08:33,520
so to us, that generation of
young women and men too,
888
01:08:33,960 --> 01:08:35,359
they were both idols.
889
01:08:36,560 --> 01:08:39,159
The first time I got to France,
890
01:08:39,680 --> 01:08:41,039
to Roland-Garros,
891
01:08:42,279 --> 01:08:44,840
I was 18, Mariana was 17.
892
01:08:45,159 --> 01:08:47,000
Ilie and Ion took care of us.
893
01:08:47,439 --> 01:08:49,159
They were a huge help.
894
01:08:57,760 --> 01:08:59,479
Oh my God!
895
01:09:17,880 --> 01:09:20,039
See how strong the bandito is?
896
01:09:20,359 --> 01:09:21,520
The bandito ?
897
01:09:22,600 --> 01:09:25,399
You see the power he has, the guy?
898
01:09:26,039 --> 01:09:28,800
You're nuts.
What if he dropped you on the head?
899
01:09:29,840 --> 01:09:32,319
Now I'm awake. I'm OK.
900
01:09:32,319 --> 01:09:33,960
Energized before the match!
901
01:09:33,960 --> 01:09:36,840
- Careful, he could hit you.
- I'm awake now.
902
01:09:42,880 --> 01:09:45,039
You want me to do it?
Chris, you want me to?
903
01:09:45,520 --> 01:09:48,319
- What's this?
- I'm pulling my pants down.
904
01:09:48,319 --> 01:09:49,560
I'm just kidding.
905
01:09:52,439 --> 01:09:55,279
Ilie, as a person, was very sensitive.
906
01:09:56,000 --> 01:09:57,680
He had a big heart, Ilie.
907
01:09:58,119 --> 01:10:01,319
He helped a lot of people, he helped...
908
01:10:02,000 --> 01:10:04,600
{\an8}If you had problems, he was always there.
909
01:10:05,199 --> 01:10:09,800
{\an8}Because of the revolution and the war
in Iran, I did not play for four years,
910
01:10:09,800 --> 01:10:11,239
{\an8}I did not hit one ball.
911
01:10:11,600 --> 01:10:15,119
And then I came to France, I remember
I had nowhere to go to sleep.
912
01:10:15,439 --> 01:10:20,119
I remember he was practicing
with Guillermo Vilas on court no. 3.
913
01:10:20,560 --> 01:10:24,920
I waited until he finished,
I didn't know if he remembers me or not.
914
01:10:25,239 --> 01:10:29,319
After they finished the practice,
he came out of the court
915
01:10:29,920 --> 01:10:32,560
and I got up and said Hello, Ilie.
916
01:10:32,560 --> 01:10:36,600
And he goes "Oh my God, Mansour,
where have you been?
917
01:10:36,920 --> 01:10:40,279
"I thought you were dead
in the revolution or...
918
01:10:40,600 --> 01:10:42,479
"I'm very happy to see you."
919
01:10:42,840 --> 01:10:45,000
He asked if there is
anything he can do for me,
920
01:10:45,479 --> 01:10:49,960
he said "I can help," which was
very kind and generous of him.
921
01:10:51,880 --> 01:10:57,399
{\an8}I would describe him as
completely crazy in a mostly good way.
922
01:10:57,399 --> 01:11:00,840
{\an8}You know, he would give you
the shirt off his back.
923
01:11:01,479 --> 01:11:04,239
People he didn't even know,
I saw him many times,
924
01:11:04,239 --> 01:11:06,920
he'd literally give them his own clothes.
925
01:11:10,600 --> 01:11:14,319
At the times, players felt
more free to express themselves,
926
01:11:14,319 --> 01:11:17,640
there wasn't as much at stake,
maybe, if they made a mistake.
927
01:11:17,640 --> 01:11:20,720
Yeah, plus, you have
to consider two things.
928
01:11:20,720 --> 01:11:23,840
The rules were not as strict
as they are today,
929
01:11:24,159 --> 01:11:27,479
and the umpires were
not as good as they are today.
930
01:11:27,479 --> 01:11:30,840
Most of the time, the tournament
organizer would ask a friend
931
01:11:31,279 --> 01:11:34,079
Could you come tomorrow
and umpire this match?
932
01:11:40,279 --> 01:11:43,399
If the umpires are wrong
I protest every time.
933
01:11:43,399 --> 01:11:45,319
We play for money, you know?
934
01:11:45,319 --> 01:11:49,319
Everytime they make a mistake,
it's like taking money from your pockets.
935
01:11:49,760 --> 01:11:53,920
I think the umpires
are not professional enough.
936
01:12:01,600 --> 01:12:05,560
I was never wrong about umpire calls.
937
01:12:06,399 --> 01:12:08,119
I just knew.
938
01:12:08,840 --> 01:12:12,840
I knew if the ball was out
or not, with my back turned.
939
01:12:12,840 --> 01:12:16,560
I only argued calls for solid reasons.
940
01:12:16,880 --> 01:12:19,079
Never when they were right.
941
01:12:19,399 --> 01:12:22,600
McEnroe sometimes did,
but not me, never.
942
01:12:31,920 --> 01:12:35,159
Outside the gate,
tickets cost 5 times more.
943
01:12:35,159 --> 01:12:38,159
There were 20,000 spectators.
944
01:12:38,560 --> 01:12:42,800
{\an8}10,000 had come to boo him,
10,000 had come to hug him.
945
01:12:42,800 --> 01:12:46,199
To top it off, back then
McEnroe was a bit mental.
946
01:12:46,880 --> 01:12:49,279
{\an8}The umpire was a man
named Frank Hammond.
947
01:12:49,640 --> 01:12:53,199
{\an8}And Hammond was this roly-poly guy
whom all the players loved.
948
01:12:53,560 --> 01:12:56,600
He was very even-minded
and very calm.
949
01:12:56,600 --> 01:12:59,439
But Năstase and McEnroe
started getting into it.
950
01:12:59,439 --> 01:13:03,239
Frank was the first professional
tennis umpire of that era.
951
01:13:03,680 --> 01:13:07,199
He was not equipped
to deal with that kind of crisis.
952
01:13:08,199 --> 01:13:10,840
I lost to Ilie a few times,
but that time I was like
953
01:13:11,199 --> 01:13:14,840
"OK, this is enough,
I'm not accepting this losing anymore."
954
01:13:14,840 --> 01:13:17,399
I was sort of playing
the best tennis of my life
955
01:13:17,399 --> 01:13:21,319
{\an8}and I think Ilie knew early on
that he wasn't gonna win,
956
01:13:21,319 --> 01:13:24,000
{\an8}so he decided to make
a complete circus out of it.
957
01:13:24,000 --> 01:13:28,960
{\an8}Frank Hammond was a players' umpire.
Loved all the players. Loved Năstase.
958
01:13:31,079 --> 01:13:32,840
He called me son of a bitch.
959
01:13:33,479 --> 01:13:36,680
Tell him at least
to call me Mister son of a bitch!
960
01:13:36,680 --> 01:13:38,399
- I never heard that.
- No?
961
01:13:38,760 --> 01:13:40,800
Maybe you can read
his lips better than me.
962
01:13:41,119 --> 01:13:44,199
I'm Romanian and I can read his lips.
You cannot read his lips?
963
01:13:44,199 --> 01:13:46,880
It was one of the first
night matches of the US Open,
964
01:13:46,880 --> 01:13:50,279
there was an energy, people
had had a couple of drinks,
965
01:13:50,279 --> 01:13:52,640
and, you know,
Ilie was feeling the crowd.
966
01:14:00,920 --> 01:14:03,760
Tell him not to talk to me
when I play the point!
967
01:14:03,760 --> 01:14:05,560
If you're a good umpire.
968
01:14:06,039 --> 01:14:09,680
Frank Hammond was trying
with every fiber of his being
969
01:14:09,680 --> 01:14:11,920
to get Năstase to calm down,
970
01:14:11,920 --> 01:14:16,560
trying to talk to him off the microphone
in the changers, "Please, Ilie!"
971
01:14:18,720 --> 01:14:20,159
Ladies and gentlemen, please.
972
01:14:21,000 --> 01:14:23,560
If you quiet down,
we can continue the match.
973
01:14:24,119 --> 01:14:25,800
It's the only way we can.
974
01:14:29,239 --> 01:14:32,399
Both players were just using the crowd
and going nuts and doing stuff.
975
01:14:32,399 --> 01:14:34,720
It was just the worst of all time.
976
01:14:43,520 --> 01:14:44,439
Ilie!
977
01:14:48,600 --> 01:14:49,680
I know, I know.
978
01:14:50,319 --> 01:14:51,600
I'm telling you to serve.
979
01:14:51,600 --> 01:14:55,199
You son of a bitch telling me to play?
How can I play like that?
980
01:14:55,199 --> 01:14:59,159
This was the one time, probably,
where I just said
981
01:14:59,159 --> 01:15:02,439
"I'm gonna sit back
and watch the master at work."
982
01:15:02,439 --> 01:15:04,840
To me, he was making
a total ass out of himself.
983
01:15:05,159 --> 01:15:08,279
{\an8}On the other hand,
that's what people wanted to see.
984
01:15:08,640 --> 01:15:11,800
Tennis is... we're playing
for the people watching us.
985
01:15:12,119 --> 01:15:15,439
They wanna be entertained,
they wanna laugh, they wanna smile,
986
01:15:15,439 --> 01:15:18,800
they wanna get angry, whatever,
it's part of the entertainment.
987
01:15:18,800 --> 01:15:22,239
And Ilie was probably
the No. 1 entertainer in tennis.
988
01:15:22,239 --> 01:15:24,079
Frank Hammond had had enough.
989
01:15:24,079 --> 01:15:27,000
Why they didn't both
get defaulted, I don't know.
990
01:15:29,039 --> 01:15:31,319
Game, set, match, McEnroe!
991
01:15:33,760 --> 01:15:36,720
The crowd in New York
was going absolutely berserk.
992
01:15:37,359 --> 01:15:42,319
They are throwing stuffs. It's crazy.
I didn't want him to be defaulted.
993
01:15:42,920 --> 01:15:44,520
He deserved to be defaulted.
994
01:15:50,079 --> 01:15:51,760
They took the guy out of the chair,
995
01:15:51,760 --> 01:15:54,800
it's the only time in my carrier
they took an umpire out of the chair.
996
01:15:55,319 --> 01:15:58,800
And then the referee came out
and he comes in the chair and I was like
997
01:15:58,800 --> 01:16:00,279
"Oh my God!"
998
01:16:01,159 --> 01:16:02,760
So, I'm like, forget it, let's just play.
999
01:16:02,760 --> 01:16:04,960
I don't care.
I'm going to beat his ass anyway.
1000
01:16:13,399 --> 01:16:15,520
Game, set, and match.
1001
01:16:17,399 --> 01:16:19,680
{\an8}He didn't want to do it
to embarrass Frank,
1002
01:16:19,680 --> 01:16:23,800
but it pretty much ended up ruining Frank
Hammond's career in many, many ways.
1003
01:16:23,800 --> 01:16:27,439
It wasn't really fair, but they were
worried about riots in the stands,
1004
01:16:27,439 --> 01:16:29,439
{\an8}it was as night match,
so a lot of reasons for it.
1005
01:16:29,439 --> 01:16:31,239
{\an8}I wasn't even happy I'd won.
1006
01:16:31,239 --> 01:16:34,159
I walked into the locker room,
I was about to go "You motherf..."
1007
01:16:35,279 --> 01:16:36,680
Then he's like Macaroni!
1008
01:16:37,039 --> 01:16:39,359
He's the only guy in the world
to call me Macaroni.
1009
01:16:39,920 --> 01:16:42,760
He says "Where are we going
for dinner? I got these two girls."
1010
01:16:42,760 --> 01:16:44,359
And I'm like...
1011
01:16:45,720 --> 01:16:48,560
"Whatever you want,"
and then, you know,
1012
01:16:48,560 --> 01:16:51,720
all of a sudden I'm having
dinner with him at 1 in the morning.
1013
01:18:19,119 --> 01:18:21,319
He had so many women
you couldn't even count.
1014
01:18:21,319 --> 01:18:23,960
I mean,
he had beauty queens, you name it.
1015
01:18:23,960 --> 01:18:27,000
Năstase was on top of the list
when it comes to that.
1016
01:18:29,079 --> 01:18:30,680
He makes the ground...
1017
01:18:31,199 --> 01:18:33,199
kind of like an earthquake, you know?
1018
01:18:33,720 --> 01:18:36,760
a small earthquake and
then a bigger earthquake.
1019
01:18:46,720 --> 01:18:49,760
He was very aware of his surroundings.
1020
01:18:49,760 --> 01:18:54,039
While we were playing doubles, he knew
where every woman was in the stands.
1021
01:18:55,000 --> 01:19:00,520
I was a good middleman: "Go talk to her,
see what she's doing tonight."
1022
01:19:01,880 --> 01:19:05,239
{\an8}His eyes and my eyes
just locked with each other
1023
01:19:05,720 --> 01:19:08,520
and he said
"You have got bedroom eyes."
1024
01:19:08,960 --> 01:19:11,119
He had the softest lips!
1025
01:19:11,119 --> 01:19:16,760
I had never kissed
such beautiful lips in my life, like this!
1026
01:19:17,560 --> 01:19:20,239
{\an8}He knows how I feel about him.
1027
01:19:20,239 --> 01:19:24,000
{\an8}I always have and always will.
1028
01:19:24,000 --> 01:19:25,960
He will always have a place in my heart.
1029
01:19:26,399 --> 01:19:28,199
He was very flirtatious.
1030
01:19:29,000 --> 01:19:33,159
You know, he was married, so,
you know, we were just always friends.
1031
01:19:33,520 --> 01:19:38,439
and we would meet... he would come
to my apartment or we go to Studio 54.
1032
01:19:39,159 --> 01:19:40,439
We just lived out lives.
1033
01:19:41,520 --> 01:19:44,680
It was a place you weren't judged.
1034
01:19:45,079 --> 01:19:49,079
You go downstairs and there
were mattresses laid out or whatever
1035
01:19:49,079 --> 01:19:50,840
and that was the place to be.
1036
01:20:13,520 --> 01:20:18,039
The people also loved Ilie
because he's more Latin
1037
01:20:18,039 --> 01:20:21,000
the way he is on the court,
the way he talks, the way he walks,
1038
01:20:21,000 --> 01:20:24,880
the way he wears his clothes,
it's always something special.
1039
01:20:25,199 --> 01:20:27,159
And he was a good-looking man.
1040
01:20:32,880 --> 01:20:35,399
- Want to greet anyone in Bucharest?
- All the girls.
1041
01:20:35,760 --> 01:20:37,640
Those who sent you
cables for your birthday?
1042
01:20:37,640 --> 01:20:42,680
Yes, and for my victories in Tbilisi
and at Wimbledon.
1043
01:20:43,079 --> 01:20:45,520
How does mail reach you
while you're traveling?
1044
01:20:45,960 --> 01:20:48,039
Is your address Ilie Năstase, Europe?
1045
01:20:48,760 --> 01:20:49,680
Sort of.
1046
01:21:02,960 --> 01:21:05,359
That's all I know.
But I love the melody.
1047
01:21:15,199 --> 01:21:17,279
Down with Ceauşescu!
1048
01:21:17,840 --> 01:21:18,800
...to the initiators...
1049
01:21:19,520 --> 01:21:21,840
which we consider to be...
1050
01:21:23,479 --> 01:21:24,399
To be...
1051
01:21:34,319 --> 01:21:35,359
Come inside.
1052
01:22:03,439 --> 01:22:06,279
I did not risk my life.
The people reigns supreme.
1053
01:22:06,720 --> 01:22:08,760
The people has proven its greatness.
1054
01:22:09,199 --> 01:22:12,119
For me to be here,
in the National Television building,
1055
01:22:12,119 --> 01:22:16,239
the people who, on the stadium,
cried as they heard the anthem
1056
01:22:16,720 --> 01:22:19,720
stood before machine guns
so I could talk to you now.
1057
01:22:20,239 --> 01:22:23,000
I urge all our sportspeople
to support the population,
1058
01:22:23,479 --> 01:22:25,760
just as our wonderful army defends them.
1059
01:22:26,239 --> 01:22:29,680
And to remain calm,
as true examples for the people,
1060
01:22:30,319 --> 01:22:32,119
as uplifting models.
1061
01:22:32,479 --> 01:22:35,640
The people needs each of us
in these awe-inspiring times.
1062
01:22:36,159 --> 01:22:39,920
Earlier, our great Ilie Năstase
left to reunite with his family in Paris.
1063
01:22:40,279 --> 01:22:46,439
Right now, he is our spokesperson
abroad, heralding this grand victory.
1064
01:22:48,920 --> 01:22:52,680
This Air France flight is the first
to arrive from Bucharest tonight.
1065
01:22:53,000 --> 01:22:56,439
Its 30 passengers,
joyful but tired,
1066
01:22:56,439 --> 01:22:58,720
were under siege on
Bucharest Airport for 4 hours.
1067
01:22:58,720 --> 01:23:00,960
On the first row, Ilie Năstase,
tennis player.
1068
01:23:01,680 --> 01:23:02,960
I've seen tanks there.
1069
01:23:03,640 --> 01:23:06,159
But if we continue to fight,
it will be all worth it.
1070
01:23:07,880 --> 01:23:09,439
We're the first out of there.
1071
01:23:09,920 --> 01:23:11,039
It's over.
1072
01:23:12,680 --> 01:23:15,239
After 25 years
of Ceauşescu's dictatorship,
1073
01:23:16,319 --> 01:23:21,800
the people, everyone,
even those who were close to him...
1074
01:23:22,479 --> 01:23:24,319
No one will support him.
1075
01:23:37,119 --> 01:23:40,039
And now, Comrade
Lieutenant General Marin Dragnea,
1076
01:23:40,039 --> 01:23:43,479
First Vice-President of
the National Council for Sports,
1077
01:23:43,479 --> 01:23:46,000
will give a medal to the best
Romanian sportsman of the year,
1078
01:23:46,000 --> 01:23:49,119
here to celebrate his victory!
1079
01:23:51,479 --> 01:23:54,800
During the Communist era,
all the Eastern European countries,
1080
01:23:54,800 --> 01:23:57,000
they wanted only the best sportsmen,
1081
01:23:57,000 --> 01:23:59,600
because they wanted
to present only the best.
1082
01:24:02,000 --> 01:24:05,399
{\an8}We were Romanians,
part of the Eastern Bloc,
1083
01:24:05,399 --> 01:24:10,239
{\an8}so it was harder for us,
both going abroad and returning.
1084
01:24:10,239 --> 01:24:13,399
Each time we returned to Romania,
1085
01:24:13,920 --> 01:24:18,239
if we stayed more than 20 days,
the government took back our passports.
1086
01:24:18,680 --> 01:24:20,119
We were being watched.
1087
01:24:21,239 --> 01:24:23,079
{\an8}When traveling for the Davis Cup,
1088
01:24:23,960 --> 01:24:27,239
{\an8}the embassy people
were always following us.
1089
01:24:27,239 --> 01:24:29,760
They knew where we were, what we did.
1090
01:24:30,199 --> 01:24:32,800
We were used to the pressure.
1091
01:24:37,159 --> 01:24:40,960
Tennis had become such a huge thing
in Romania because of these two guys,
1092
01:24:41,319 --> 01:24:43,439
Ţiriac first and then, of course, Năstase.
1093
01:24:44,119 --> 01:24:49,239
When the Davis Cup came there,
they put it in City Hall in Bucharest.
1094
01:24:49,840 --> 01:24:52,560
And these lines of people
just stretched around the city
1095
01:24:52,560 --> 01:24:54,720
to see and touch the Davis Cup.
1096
01:24:55,279 --> 01:24:56,600
It was a marvelous event.
1097
01:25:08,359 --> 01:25:10,399
He can beat them blindfolded!
1098
01:25:11,000 --> 01:25:14,199
Năstase runs circles
around the Americans.
1099
01:25:16,600 --> 01:25:18,199
To Romania, the Davis Cup
1100
01:25:19,800 --> 01:25:21,079
was something grand.
1101
01:25:21,079 --> 01:25:24,920
Seeing the American team,
with world champion Stan Smith,
1102
01:25:25,399 --> 01:25:28,600
seeing Ilie play against him
in the grand finale at Wimbledon...
1103
01:25:28,600 --> 01:25:32,319
Romanian TV didn't show
a lot of tennis back then.
1104
01:25:32,680 --> 01:25:35,199
But we could see the Davis Cup.
1105
01:25:35,920 --> 01:25:37,600
Ion Ţiriac and Ilie Năstase,
1106
01:25:37,960 --> 01:25:40,720
20 million people wish you good luck!
1107
01:25:41,319 --> 01:25:42,720
The best of luck!
1108
01:25:43,920 --> 01:25:48,760
In his mind, I think that had
a huge impact on Năstase.
1109
01:25:48,760 --> 01:25:51,199
I think he knew this was his chance.
1110
01:25:51,640 --> 01:25:55,079
{\an8}Because Romanians lost a couple
of finals in the Davis Cup in America
1111
01:25:55,079 --> 01:25:56,199
before the '72.
1112
01:25:56,560 --> 01:25:59,479
But this was Ilie's chance
to really prove himself
1113
01:25:59,800 --> 01:26:02,520
and I think that stayed
with him a long time.
1114
01:26:03,720 --> 01:26:06,840
That meeting back in 1972 in Bucharest
1115
01:26:07,439 --> 01:26:10,359
{\an8}was a perfect chance for Ceauşescu.
1116
01:26:10,920 --> 01:26:13,680
{\an8}The presence of the US team in Bucharest
1117
01:26:13,680 --> 01:26:19,520
was a new chance for him
to showcase the double game
1118
01:26:19,520 --> 01:26:23,159
that he played with the US and Russia.
1119
01:26:23,159 --> 01:26:27,079
The meeting happened
with Nixon's approval.
1120
01:26:27,520 --> 01:26:30,159
The international context was very tense,
1121
01:26:30,159 --> 01:26:33,520
after the Munich terrorist attack
on the Israeli athletes.
1122
01:26:34,199 --> 01:26:38,439
That year, in the Munich Olympics,
those Israeli athletes had been killed.
1123
01:26:38,439 --> 01:26:41,039
And we had two Jewish members
on our team,
1124
01:26:41,039 --> 01:26:46,880
So we came there, to Bucharest,
certainly concerned about our welfare,
1125
01:26:47,720 --> 01:26:50,119
how safe it was gonna be,
1126
01:26:50,720 --> 01:26:53,239
so we had very tight
security the whole time.
1127
01:26:53,680 --> 01:26:57,279
{\an8}Ceauşescu said,
if anything happened to anybody,
1128
01:26:57,880 --> 01:27:01,039
{\an8}heads would roll,
and I think he meant it literally.
1129
01:27:09,039 --> 01:27:11,880
I knew all the stories
about the Americans having to take
1130
01:27:11,880 --> 01:27:14,199
a different route
to the courts every day.
1131
01:27:14,199 --> 01:27:16,159
It was very dangerous.
1132
01:27:16,520 --> 01:27:18,560
We had guards in our hotel rooms.
1133
01:27:18,560 --> 01:27:22,880
We didn't get to go out that much,
all we did was maybe go to the stadium,
1134
01:27:23,399 --> 01:27:26,159
come back, and we had
protection everywhere.
1135
01:27:26,479 --> 01:27:29,319
Secret Service or whatever,
from the Romanian government.
1136
01:27:29,640 --> 01:27:31,920
It was pretty tough
to play in those conditions.
1137
01:27:33,119 --> 01:27:36,039
Năstase! Năstase!
1138
01:27:37,359 --> 01:27:41,920
You will be surprised,
the arena has had a complete makeover,
1139
01:27:42,239 --> 01:27:44,720
new bleachers, sacrificed roosters...
1140
01:27:45,399 --> 01:27:46,520
Not bad at all!
1141
01:27:47,560 --> 01:27:50,760
All the workers on the site,
carpenters, mechanics,
1142
01:27:51,159 --> 01:27:53,520
they are excited about the game.
1143
01:27:53,520 --> 01:27:56,479
For Comrade Ilie,
we'll make an excellent court!
1144
01:27:56,960 --> 01:28:00,880
They were playing on red clay,
behind the Iron Curtain for the first time
1145
01:28:01,319 --> 01:28:02,640
and it was a big deal.
1146
01:28:03,279 --> 01:28:06,399
{\an8}With Stan Smith serving
the way he was serving on grass,
1147
01:28:06,399 --> 01:28:08,439
the grass was very, very quick.
1148
01:28:08,439 --> 01:28:12,560
But on clay, it was sort of heavy clay,
1149
01:28:12,560 --> 01:28:15,279
because Ion Ţiriac was clever
1150
01:28:15,680 --> 01:28:17,720
and he knew how to prepare the court.
1151
01:28:17,720 --> 01:28:20,159
He said We're gonna
water these courts so much
1152
01:28:20,159 --> 01:28:23,239
that Godzilla Stan Smith
will think he's playing on a beach.
1153
01:28:24,640 --> 01:28:28,520
It's not Wimbledon, it's not Forest Hills,
it's not Roland-Garros.
1154
01:28:31,279 --> 01:28:33,319
The Davis Cup is in Bucharest.
1155
01:28:42,439 --> 01:28:43,439
He'd won the US Open
1156
01:28:43,439 --> 01:28:45,760
and now they were gonna play
the Davis Cup in Bucharest.
1157
01:28:46,079 --> 01:28:49,199
People said It's over.
The Americans don't have a chance.
1158
01:28:49,520 --> 01:28:51,079
I remember even Năstase saying
1159
01:28:51,079 --> 01:28:54,359
"We're 10-1 favorites
to beat the Americans."
1160
01:28:54,720 --> 01:28:58,800
We kind of joked that
all the linesmen were related to Ţiriac
1161
01:28:59,159 --> 01:29:01,960
so he was orchestrating everything.
1162
01:29:02,279 --> 01:29:04,960
We had a neutral umpire
from Argentina,
1163
01:29:05,479 --> 01:29:09,439
who was a big guy, but he was intimidated
by the situation, it was difficult.
1164
01:29:13,439 --> 01:29:18,840
At every mistake by the Americans,
the audience applauded and jumped up.
1165
01:29:19,520 --> 01:29:20,439
Myself included.
1166
01:29:21,399 --> 01:29:24,399
Very few countries
that I've heard until now
1167
01:29:25,199 --> 01:29:29,000
use the colorful language that
Romanians use when they're upset.
1168
01:29:29,680 --> 01:29:33,399
There were some terrible calls, there
were actually a lot of very bad calls.
1169
01:29:34,239 --> 01:29:38,399
I think, frankly, there was a lot of
deliberate cheating for the Romanians.
1170
01:29:38,960 --> 01:29:44,399
If you are in doubt, better to give
the point to our compatriots
1171
01:29:44,399 --> 01:29:45,800
than to the others.
1172
01:29:46,159 --> 01:29:50,000
And it was not just the Romanian case,
1173
01:29:50,000 --> 01:29:52,359
it was everywhere, to be honest,
in the Davis Cup.
1174
01:29:52,680 --> 01:29:58,000
And in 1980
there was not a neutral jury.
1175
01:29:58,399 --> 01:30:01,199
The umpire, the referee were local.
1176
01:30:02,479 --> 01:30:05,399
Just must be something
that I can't play in Romania.
1177
01:30:06,439 --> 01:30:09,119
But people don't understand that,
because...
1178
01:30:09,119 --> 01:30:12,199
They want me to win,
they don't want me to lose.
1179
01:30:12,199 --> 01:30:15,439
We are told the Năstase-Ţiriac duo
is rock solid?
1180
01:30:15,439 --> 01:30:16,439
So we hope...
1181
01:30:16,880 --> 01:30:19,399
Emotionally?
We know the technique is impeccable.
1182
01:30:19,399 --> 01:30:22,880
No, there's no problem between us.
No fracture.
1183
01:30:23,640 --> 01:30:27,640
There is nothing to confess.
This is just how things are.
1184
01:30:27,640 --> 01:30:33,079
We are professionals, but there's
a seven-year age gap between us.
1185
01:30:33,479 --> 01:30:37,880
As the Party has instructed,
we hope to win the Davis Cup,
1186
01:30:37,880 --> 01:30:40,560
and I don't see what could prevent us.
1187
01:30:40,920 --> 01:30:43,720
Năstase deserved
to be shot for one thing:
1188
01:30:43,720 --> 01:30:48,079
he only returned to the country
on the Monday of the Davis Cup week.
1189
01:30:48,079 --> 01:30:50,000
He had vanished for three weeks.
1190
01:30:50,760 --> 01:30:53,800
Probably with
his future wife or something.
1191
01:30:54,680 --> 01:30:56,439
By Tuesday, his palms were blistered.
1192
01:30:57,319 --> 01:31:03,199
Apparently, there are rumors that we've
had a falling-out, but it's not true.
1193
01:31:03,920 --> 01:31:07,479
Not true at all.
Ion and myself are friends.
1194
01:31:08,279 --> 01:31:10,239
We've always supported each other.
1195
01:31:11,920 --> 01:31:15,119
I never play well in Romania
because the crowds...
1196
01:31:16,720 --> 01:31:20,279
expect so much from me
and put so much pressure on me.
1197
01:31:27,960 --> 01:31:29,359
I really want
1198
01:31:30,520 --> 01:31:32,279
to win this Davis Cup.
1199
01:31:39,000 --> 01:31:42,720
They were counting on Ilie to
win that match, that opening.
1200
01:31:42,720 --> 01:31:43,880
That was the key of the whole thing.
1201
01:31:43,880 --> 01:31:47,239
He served for the first set,
leading with 9-8, and got broken
1202
01:31:47,239 --> 01:31:50,359
and that turned the whole match
and Smith won its straight sets.
1203
01:31:50,359 --> 01:31:55,000
Than the next day, he and Ţiriac
were bickering a lot during the doubles.
1204
01:32:10,279 --> 01:32:14,920
They were not working together
as well as they could have.
1205
01:32:14,920 --> 01:32:18,119
In fact, they even got into a bit
of a confrontation during the match.
1206
01:32:19,840 --> 01:32:22,000
So, you know, it was...
1207
01:32:22,640 --> 01:32:25,600
We loved to see that,
from our point of view.
1208
01:32:30,640 --> 01:32:33,520
He and Ţiriac were bickering
a lot during the doubles.
1209
01:32:33,920 --> 01:32:37,840
So Smith and Erik van Dillen, the US,
beat them very comfortably.
1210
01:32:38,159 --> 01:32:42,479
And Smith won the decisive match
the last day, beating Ţiriac 6-0 in 5th,
1211
01:32:42,479 --> 01:32:44,880
so Năstase's match
with Tom Gorman was meaningless.
1212
01:32:48,079 --> 01:32:52,840
{\an8}We, the ball boys...
I was a ball boy in that final.
1213
01:32:53,279 --> 01:32:56,640
It was obvious
Ţiriac couldn't beat Stan Smith.
1214
01:32:57,079 --> 01:32:58,720
He actually told me:
1215
01:32:58,720 --> 01:33:02,720
"Throw that ball wide,
can't you see I'm beat?"
1216
01:33:03,439 --> 01:33:06,439
I realised he wanted me
to throw the ball sideways,
1217
01:33:06,439 --> 01:33:12,479
so another ball boy would pick it up,
giving him time to catch his breath.
1218
01:33:13,239 --> 01:33:17,079
Even with the doubles going
the other way, Romania might have won.
1219
01:33:18,279 --> 01:33:22,359
Looking back it was a sad occasion for
Năstase that he didn't perform his best
1220
01:33:22,840 --> 01:33:24,439
on the surface that suited him
1221
01:33:24,439 --> 01:33:27,239
in front of the fans
that were rooting so hard for him.
1222
01:33:27,239 --> 01:33:29,800
Because Ţiriac did beat
Gorman the first day.
1223
01:34:00,760 --> 01:34:04,039
I was 33 when we played in Bucharest.
1224
01:34:04,039 --> 01:34:05,920
If I hadn't played
for five hours in the first day,
1225
01:34:06,239 --> 01:34:11,800
I might have had some fuel left
that third day, for the fifth set,
1226
01:34:12,319 --> 01:34:13,520
in the singles.
1227
01:34:13,960 --> 01:34:16,039
The doubles went south for us.
1228
01:34:16,039 --> 01:34:20,119
It was one of my greatest failures.
1229
01:34:20,119 --> 01:34:22,159
He can't even understand it.
1230
01:34:22,920 --> 01:34:24,439
I mean it.
1231
01:34:24,840 --> 01:34:29,239
He's won all those Grand Slams,
he's World Champion Ilie Năstase.
1232
01:34:29,840 --> 01:34:30,960
But to me...
1233
01:34:32,000 --> 01:34:34,760
Having come from hockey,
which is a team sport.
1234
01:34:35,119 --> 01:34:37,279
I had seen a thing or two.
1235
01:34:37,880 --> 01:34:42,000
You get a hockey stick to the face,
you defend, stuff like that.
1236
01:34:42,479 --> 01:34:46,159
But he was such an individualist.
1237
01:34:47,359 --> 01:34:49,560
- He was so invested--
- I'm jumping!
1238
01:34:49,560 --> 01:34:52,560
But he was a great artist.
There you have it.
1239
01:34:53,720 --> 01:34:57,079
Dear watchers, we have
reached the end of our programme.
1240
01:34:57,439 --> 01:35:00,600
Before I take my leave, though,
1241
01:35:01,239 --> 01:35:05,800
I wish swift progress to those
who have followed our adventure
1242
01:35:05,800 --> 01:35:08,279
and hope that, in the coming years,
1243
01:35:08,680 --> 01:35:11,119
one of them will win the Grand Slam,
1244
01:35:11,119 --> 01:35:14,279
while others will form
a new Davis Cup team.
1245
01:35:14,279 --> 01:35:17,359
One that might bring home the Cup.
1246
01:35:17,720 --> 01:35:19,640
Good luck to all!
1247
01:35:40,840 --> 01:35:43,239
Năstase was pure talent.
1248
01:35:43,760 --> 01:35:47,760
I believe that Ilie,
with his way of being,
1249
01:35:49,119 --> 01:35:53,359
poetic, relaxed,
treating tennis like a game,
1250
01:35:53,359 --> 01:35:56,960
but still wanting to play it as an art,
1251
01:35:56,960 --> 01:36:01,119
Ilie wanted to deliver a show every time.
1252
01:36:02,399 --> 01:36:04,760
He would say It's just a game.
1253
01:36:04,760 --> 01:36:07,479
He even believed this
during the Davis Cup finals.
1254
01:36:07,840 --> 01:36:10,760
He believed it during those
Wimbledon finals he lost.
1255
01:36:11,199 --> 01:36:13,159
{\an8}To him, it's just a game.
1256
01:36:14,720 --> 01:36:17,640
Look, Ilie Năstase
will always be Ilie Năstase.
1257
01:36:18,560 --> 01:36:21,560
{\an8}Today when you meet him
similar to 50 years ago.
1258
01:36:21,560 --> 01:36:27,600
{\an8}I'm sure he has moments of regret,
I'm sure with the talent he had, you know,
1259
01:36:27,600 --> 01:36:29,840
he should have been No. 1 for a long time,
1260
01:36:29,840 --> 01:36:33,399
but he just couldn't help himself,
he didn't have the discipline,
1261
01:36:33,399 --> 01:36:34,920
didn't have the concentration.
1262
01:36:35,239 --> 01:36:38,039
{\an8}I always thought he could have
done a little bit more,
1263
01:36:38,039 --> 01:36:41,319
{\an8}but maybe if he did that
he wouldn't have been as natural,
1264
01:36:41,840 --> 01:36:44,600
so there's a bit of a give-and-take.
1265
01:36:44,600 --> 01:36:46,159
I remember
1266
01:36:46,880 --> 01:36:49,960
{\an8}looking at him and saying
"OK, he's playing."
1267
01:36:50,560 --> 01:36:52,159
The others were working.
1268
01:36:52,760 --> 01:36:56,680
And he was the first
that was actually playing the game.
1269
01:36:57,880 --> 01:37:00,439
When you are the best player in the world
and you're a little bit crazy,
1270
01:37:00,439 --> 01:37:02,000
it becomes very inspiring,
1271
01:37:02,399 --> 01:37:06,319
{\an8}but more than that there was
the simplicity that he played tennis with,
1272
01:37:06,319 --> 01:37:09,359
{\an8}the feel that he had
that was just unbelievable.
1273
01:37:12,359 --> 01:37:15,920
The thing was, every time he played,
the courts were full.
1274
01:37:16,239 --> 01:37:20,159
Because sometimes people
want more than just tennis.
1275
01:37:22,039 --> 01:37:26,720
{\an8}And Ilie was able to give
that little bit more to the people.
1276
01:37:28,159 --> 01:37:30,079
He just touches
the hearts and minds of people.
1277
01:37:31,279 --> 01:37:32,720
He just does.
1278
01:37:35,880 --> 01:37:41,520
{\an8}He was Romanian;
he stayed in our hearts and minds,
1279
01:37:41,520 --> 01:37:43,880
{\an8}because he made us happy.
1280
01:37:44,359 --> 01:37:49,279
He is one of the great people who
taught me to aim at being the best.
1281
01:37:50,720 --> 01:37:54,119
{\an8}You'd never know
what he was thinking, what he was doing.
1282
01:37:54,119 --> 01:37:59,079
{\an8}That's why Ilie was
a very difficult opponent to play against.
1283
01:37:59,399 --> 01:38:02,119
But Ilie brought
something new to the sport.
1284
01:38:02,760 --> 01:38:05,279
He was the fresh thing in tennis.
1285
01:38:05,680 --> 01:38:07,279
He made tennis
1286
01:38:08,119 --> 01:38:09,960
what it is today.
1287
01:38:13,880 --> 01:38:15,720
Forget about the record.
1288
01:38:15,720 --> 01:38:18,880
He has his records, he's won his
tournaments, a couple of Grand Slams.
1289
01:38:18,880 --> 01:38:20,920
{\an8}That's all good, that's all fine.
1290
01:38:20,920 --> 01:38:24,479
{\an8}But what he did, in my opinion,
to help build the game
1291
01:38:25,000 --> 01:38:28,279
and to create the excitement,
the electricity, the charisma,
1292
01:38:29,239 --> 01:38:31,920
any other adjectives
I can figure out, he did it.
1293
01:38:32,640 --> 01:38:34,760
Năstase was hard to match.
1294
01:38:35,520 --> 01:38:37,560
The inside of Năstase was...
1295
01:38:38,079 --> 01:38:41,720
People used to say he had no lungs,
just two hearts.
1296
01:38:42,079 --> 01:38:45,479
Very generous and so on,
but a lunatic.
1297
01:38:48,600 --> 01:38:53,199
Do you ever think of being afraid
of growing old, or death?
1298
01:38:53,520 --> 01:38:56,520
Sometimes I'll think about death, but...
1299
01:38:57,479 --> 01:39:01,079
I don't see myself dead,
dying, you know?
1300
01:39:01,079 --> 01:39:04,119
I just see myself living forever.
1301
01:39:09,079 --> 01:39:14,359
When you play, you tell yourself
I have to win, it's what I'm here for.
1302
01:39:14,800 --> 01:39:19,199
But I never thought of it
in a calculated way,
1303
01:39:19,800 --> 01:39:21,199
being No. 1.
1304
01:39:21,760 --> 01:39:22,680
It just happened.
1305
01:39:23,680 --> 01:39:25,079
That's how it was.
1306
01:39:35,039 --> 01:39:38,800
His style is not perfect,
but each shot is an innovation,
1307
01:39:38,800 --> 01:39:41,359
an impulse that confuses the opponent.
1308
01:39:41,359 --> 01:39:43,880
He appears
where he couldn't logically be,
1309
01:39:44,239 --> 01:39:47,840
he sends the ball
where it couldn't logically go.
1310
01:39:48,199 --> 01:39:50,840
Has he invented surrealist tennis?
1311
01:39:54,279 --> 01:39:59,199
He is wrongly called shallow:
he loves tennis too much to neglect it.
1312
01:40:58,000 --> 01:41:02,920
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