Indian Wells - Rafael Nadal urges tougher penalties for abuse of tennis officials after Alexander Zverev outburst

Rafael Nadal has called for tougher penalties to be imposed upon tennis stars who abuse officials after Alexander Zverev was handed a controversial suspended sentence for his actions in Acapulco. The German Olympic gold medallist was kicked out of the singles draw at the ATP 500 tournament last month when he smashed his racquet on an umpire’s chair following a doubles defeat.

Ad/> Zverev has since been given a one-year probation with no immediate punishment and Nadal feels it’s time to clamp down on what he believes to be a growing trend of dissent. TennisOsaka returns to Indian Wells ‘at peace’ after early exit at the Australian Open19 HOURS AGO 'Amazing if he can keep this up' — Wilander on Nadal's form Serena right about Zverev punishment — Evert Medvedev unsure of tennis future amid threat of playing ban «I have a good relationship with Sascha, I like him, I practise with him very often, so I wish him all the very best.

And he knows that he was wrong and he recognised that very early and that's a positive thing,» Nadal said. «On the other hand, if we are not able to control this type of attitude on court, not just this one instance in particular, there has been other stuff going on in the last couple of months.

/> Nadal was speaking to the media ahead of his involvement at the Indian Wells Masters 1000 tournament with his first match scheduled for Saturday. The Spaniard is a three-time champion in the desert and arrives on the back of a stunning 15-match winning streak that has seen him kick off 2022 with three titles, including a record 21st Grand Slam triumph at the Australian Open.

»As everyone knows this is one of my favourite tournaments," added Nadal. «I have been practising, playing some golf, enjoying the