Nick Kyrgios is no stranger to controversy on the tennis circuit, and the Australian star had his latest incident on Thursday at the US Open.
After dropping the first set of his second-round match against Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Kyrgios basically stopped trying. He didn't even try to hide it either; he just kept allowing Herbert to blow serves by him without even attempting to return them.
Here's what led to the umpire telling him to try pic.twitter.com/dFia7Wvkug
— Eric Hubbs (@BarstoolHubbs) August 30, 2018
This isn't exactly a new issue for Kyrgios, who has a reputation of being somewhat of a headcase who has issues with effort and focus. Earlier this month, he conceded that he tanked intentionally during the Cincinnati Open.
His lack of effort and passion for his craft has been a sore spot for a lot of tennis fans, especially since Kyrgios' talent is undeniable. Many believe if he could put it all together and just commit to the game, he'd be one of the best players on the planet. It's just a matter of getting him to commit.
On Thursday, it was chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani who tried to implore Kyrgios to use his talents and start showing a little effort on the court. Lahyani got down from his post in between sets and attempted to give Kyrgios a pep talk.
Umpire Mohamed Lahyani gets out of his chair to speak to Nick Kyrgios, telling him "I'm trying to help you". Understand the sentiment but not sure that is the umpire's job? Kyrgios says "I'm not feeling it." Calls the trainer for the next change of ends.
— Simon Cambers (@scambers73) August 30, 2018
It was truly a bizarre scene for a Grand Slam event, and one that had a lot of people wondering whether the umpire is within his right to do such a thing. It turns out he might not be.
Kyrgios won the second set after a pep talk from the chair umpire Mo Lahyani.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) August 30, 2018
A USTA rep told me it is already looking into Lahyani's conduct in this match.
Absurd scenes. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/6qTMaoqPQd
If Lahyani gets in trouble for his actions on Thursday, maybe he should consider moving from the umpire chair to Kyrgios' coach's box. Not only did Kyrgios turn around and win the second set following Lahyani's pep talk, he also won the next two sets (and in pretty dominant fashion) to advance to the third round.