Nick Kyrgios and the umpire whose bizarre “pep talk” was credited by some for propelling the volatile Aussie into the third round of the U.S. Open are back to work.
Mohamed Lahyani “went beyond protocol” Thursday, when he climbed down from his chair to exhort Kyrgios, the USTA said in a toothless statement Friday, in an apparent reversal of its party line the day prior, when it excused Lahyani’s conduct.
Kyrgios, the No. 30 seed, was dragging through a casual effort against France’s Pierre-Hughes Herbert, down a set and a break, when Lahyani stepped in for the controversial tete-a-tete. He could be heard telling Kyrgios, “I want to help you,” and, “You’re great for tennis.”
Kyrgios later insisted the conversation had no effect on his sudden reversal in effort and fortune — from that point, he sprinted to a four-set win — but Herbert was left seething. He said the USTA’s original summary of events “is clearly taking us for fools” and added, “When we players are making mistakes on court we are sanctioned.”
There was no mention of sanctions Friday following what U.S. Open officials termed a “comprehensive review” of the incident. The statement said: “Lahyani was advised to adhere to proper protocols in all matches that he officiates moving forward.”
Lahyani was assigned to a second-round men’s doubles match Friday afternoon on tiny Court 13. It remains to be seen whether he is entrusted with any high-profile assignments the rest of the tournament or is kept tucked away on outer courts.
The gigs don’t come much bigger than Saturday’s clash between the 23-year-old Kyrgios and five-time Open champion Roger Federer, 37. Don’t expect another half-hearted Kyrgios display: All three of their prior meetings — one on hardcourt, one on Federer’s preferred grass, one on clay — have been best-of-three nailbiters that have finished in a third-set tiebreak, with two decisions for Federer and one for Kyrgios. And don’t expect another intercession on Kyrgios’ behalf, an unamused Federer said.
“It’s not the umpire’s role to go down from the chair,” Federer said. “But I get what he was trying to do. [Kyrgios] behaves the way he behaves. You as an umpire take a decision on the chair, do you like it or don’t you like it. But you don’t go and speak like that, in my opinion …
“That’s why it won’t happen again. I think everybody knows that.”
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