President Klaus Iohannis decorated Romanian tennis star legend Ilie Nastase with the Star of Romania order in the rank of Commodore.

The decoration ceremony took place on July 19, 2016, the day when Ilie Nastase celebrated his 70th birthday.

“I thank you, on behalf of Romania and my own, for serving with dedication the Romanian sport’s reputation abroad,” the President told Ilie Nastase during the ceremony.

“You’ve been my generation’s dream athlete. Although we didn’t have the media means that exist today, when Ilie was playing it was like a celebration: we were all gathering in front of the TV, or we were turning on the radio, to admire and listen to the show that you were creating on the tennis court. In those moments, we forgot all the injustices of those times, dreaming of becoming like you. You’ve been the idol of a generation,” Iohannis also said.

Ilie Nastase was born on July 19, 1946, in Bucharest, Romania. He is one of the world’s top players of the ‘70s, ranking world No.1 between August 23, 1973, and June 2, 1974. He won two Grand Slam singles titles, US Open in 1972 and Roland Garros in 1973, and played two finals at Wimbledon. He also won five Grand Slam titles in men’s doubles and mixed doubles.

Nastase retired from professional tennis in October 1985 at the age of 39 after playing in the tournament in Toulouse. In 1991, he was included in the Tennis Hall of Fame. Read more about him here.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com