Umpire Mo Lahyani appeared to give a struggling Nick Kyrgios a pep talk at the U.S. Open on Thursday, sparking a controversy an infuriating fellow players at Flushing Meadows.
Cameras showed Lahyani coming out of his chair and approaching Kyrgios while the Australian was down 0-3 in the second set to Pierre-Hugues Herbert. Lahyani appeared to offer words of encouragement to Kyrgios, who ended up winning the match 4-6, 7-6 (8–6), 6-3, 6-0. He will face Roger Federer in the third round.
Umpires are not allowed to offer any sort of advice or encouragement to either player and are expected to stay perfectly neutral.