German tennis star and world number three Alexander Zverev made headlines for all the wrong reasons at the Mexican Open during a doubles match. Zverev, angered over a call by the chair umpire, proceeded to smash his racket against the chair, resulting in his expulsion from the tournament and eventual fines. The German star since apologized, though his actions drew criticism from one of tennis' stars, Andy Murray. Fellow ATP Tour star Rafael Nadal delivered a firm message on Zverev's Mexican Open umpire incident, via ESPN.

“He deserved the sanction because you can't act in this way,” Nadal said after the reaching the quarterfinals in Acapulco.

“I think he is aware of that and I hope that this serves as a learning process for him and other young players who lose their temper on the court sometimes.”

Rafael Nadal, an ATP Tour veteran, knows that the way Alexander Zverev acted at the Mexican Open cannot happen. Nadal said that Zverev “deserved the sanction” for his incident with the umpire. Nadal is right, as Zverev's actions were irresponsible and could have caused harm to the umpire, or perhaps even fans.

The Spaniard then offered some veteran wisdom, noting that he hopes that his fellow ATP Tour peer, and anyone else who loses their temper in such a way, is able to learn from the Mexican Open incident.

If the umpire incident itself doesn't make Zverev want to rethink his actions, perhaps the words of Rafael Nadal, someone who has always carried himself the right way on the tour, will hit home.