Watch: Tennis Star's Bizarre On-Court Behavior Causes Umpire To Beg Him To Take Match Seriously
Nick Kyrgios is at it again.
The controversial Australian tennis star has once again caused a stir by something he’s said or done — or in this case, not done.
During his Round of 64 match at the U.S. Open on Thursday, Kyrgios seemed to give up midway through the second set as he faced unranked Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France.
As Kyrgios sat down between sets, something even more bizarre happened as umpire Mohamed Lahyani came down from his chair to give Kyrgios a pep talk and encourage him to keep playing.
https://twitter.com/BarstoolHubbs/status/1035220320951721984
Tennis reporter Ben Rothenberg was close enough to hear what the umpire told Kyrgios, and tennis fans who care about the integrity of the sport have to be shocked at what was said.
Among things Lahyani can be heard saying:
"I want to help you, I want to help you."
"I've seen your matches: you're great for tennis."
"I can see that; I know this is not you."
An umpire giving a pep talk that correlates to a reversal in a match is *insane*, even for tennis.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) August 30, 2018
Kyrgios’ unexpected hype man did his job as he then rallied to win the second set in a tiebreaker. Kyrgios then won the next two sets to defeat Herbert 4-6, 7-6, 6-3, 6-0.
After that bizarre pep talk from Mo Lahyani, Nick Kyrgios wins 19 of the remaining 25 games to beat Pierre-Hugues Herbet in four sets.
Really, one of the odder things I've seen in my years in tennis. #USOpen
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) August 30, 2018
After the match, Rothenberg reported that a USTA representative said he already was looking into the umpire’s conduct during the match.
Rothenberg also noted this wasn’t the first time Lahyani had done this.
Lahyani has done similar things before, trying to pep up players who seem down in the dumps…which is absolutely not something a referee in any sport should be doing.
From Valencia years ago (h/t @pasha_zakr) pic.twitter.com/lRdMeMkqBp
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) August 30, 2018
Kyrgios likely had many mentions when he checked his Twitter account afterward, but he picked one person in particular to respond to regarding the umpire’s “coaching.”
https://twitter.com/NickKyrgios/status/1035254103666872320
Donna Vekic is a tennis player who lost her opening match in the U.S. Open. But she is also the girlfriend of fellow tennis player Stan Wawrinka, with whom Kyrgios has had a long feud.
In 2015, Kyrgios infamously told Wawrinka during a match that another player was sleeping with Wawrinka’s girlfriend.
Kyrgios was fined $25,000 by the ATP for his comments and given a 28-day suspended sentence. He also apologized to Wawrinka on social media, but not in person.
https://www.facebook.com/nkyrgios/posts/1028476653837233
Kyrgios has advanced to the third round of the U.S. Open, where he will play Roger Federer, ranked No. 2 in the world.
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