Great Britain and Romania compete in a Fed Cup playoff this weekend, but the event has been overshadowed by a shocking racial slur made by Romanian captain Ilie Nastase against Serena Williams.
Williams engendered joy and astonishment this week when she announced on Snapchat that she was 20 weeks pregnant, meaning she had won the Australian Open - without dropping a set in the final - while eight weeks pregnant.
At the press conference ahead of the Fed Cup match, however, Nastase was heard over a microphone talking about Williams' pregnancy, saying "Let’s see what colour it has. Chocolate with milk?".
This is likely a reference to Williams' marriage: she is married to reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who is white.
The International Tennis Federation have promised to investigate the comments by Nastase, who also made unsubstantiated allegations of doping against Williams in a TV interview last month.
Nastase is a sporting legend in Romania, winning two Grand Slam titles as a player. He won the US Open in 1972 along with the French Open a year later, becoming the first male player in history of Roland-Garros to win the title without dropping a set.
