Is there anything Mohamed Lahyani can’t do?
He can speak in tongues. He can spot movement on Mars with his own eyes. His voice can be heard from two continents away. He can sit through a three-day tennis match without going to the bathroom once.
Now it appears he can coach. And that’s not all. He can even raise Nick Kyrgios from the dead.
Yes, Mohamed actually did those things on Thursday at what is becoming a batshit crazy U.S. Open. First it was Alize Cornet’s shirt-gate. Now it’s Mohamed’s coaching conundrum.
Less than 24 hours removed from its first massive controversy, the season’s final major brewed up another one from the likeliest of sources (Kyrgios) in the unlikeliest of ways (Mohamed discovering his newest superpowers). The third-round match between Kyrgios and Pierre-Hugues Herbert began with Kyrgios doing Kyrgios things. In other words, the combustible Aussie looked like he would rather be anywhere except on a tennis court: the dentist, chemistry class, or even watching his beloved Boston Celtics lose–again–to LeBron James. He was blasting second serves upwards of 130 MPH, attempting unnecessary tweeners, and watching routine shots off the Herbert racket drift past him for winners.
The result was a quick 6-4, 3-0 deficit for one of the most talented players in the sport against the world No. 75.
Enter Mohamed Lahyani.
Never one to miss an opportunity to steal the show and seize the spotlight, Mohamed struck. He had seen enough of Nick’s tank-job and he wasn’t about to have a hand in depriving the tennis world of what it wanted to see: Roger Federer vs. Nick Kyrgios on Saturday night in Arthur Ashe Stadium. So the Swede channeled his inner Optimus Prime and transformed himself into Kyrgios’ coach, trainer, psychologist, and all-round raiser from the dead.
“I want to help you,” Mohamed, who climbed down from his chair at the changeover and got face to face with the player, could be heard telling Kyrgios. “I want to help you. I’ve seen your matches: you’re great for tennis. Nick, I know this is not you.”
Kyrgios won the second set after a pep talk from the chair umpire Mo Lahyani.
A USTA rep told me it is already looking into Lahyani's conduct in this match.
Absurd scenes. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/6qTMaoqPQd
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) August 30, 2018
The rest is history. History in that Lahyani-Kyrgios will undoubtedly go down as the most successful pep talk in tennis since Brad Gilbert-Andre Agassi during a rain delay in the 1999 French Open final. From a set a break down, a suddenly inspired Kyrgios came roaring back and dominated Herbert the rest of the way en route to a 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-3, 6-0 victory.
There is, however, the issue that Mohamed violated the following ITF rule: “Officials must maintain complete impartiality with respect to players at all times. Officials shall not abuse their position of authority or control, and shall not compromise the psychological, physical or emotional well-being of other players.”
But no matter. Even though Mohamed did that, the USTA did nothing.
“After the third game of the second set in the Kyrgios-Herbert match on Court 17, with Kyrgios down 0-3, Chair Umpire Mohamed Lahyani, left his chair to check on the condition of Nick Kyrgios,” the USTA stated. “He came out of the chair because of the noise level in the Stadium during the changeover to make sure he could communicate effectively with Kyrgios.
“Lahyani was concerned that Kyrgios might need medical attention. Lahyani told Kyrgios that if he was feeling ill, that the tournament could provide medical help. He also informed Kyrgios that if his seeming lack of interest in the match continued, that as the chair umpire, he would need to take action. He again suggested to Kyrgios that he could receive medical attention.
“At the next changeover, Kyrgios down 1-4, received treatment from the physio.”
Of course, that’s not exactly what happened. In fact, it’s not even close to what happened. But the USTA isn’t about to let the facts get in the way of a good story and it certainly isn’t about to let a 45-second breach of ITF rules get in the way of a good chair umpire.
The bottom line is this: Mohamed does whatever he wants, whenever he wants. And no one is going to stop him.
[polldaddy poll=10094086]
Mo!
Lol 😁😁😁
Should the NASA recruit Mo for giving the Mars rover a pep talk, which has been unresponsive since a sand storm hit the much beloved vehicle two months ago?
From what I have seen we’ve had shot-clock gate, shirt-gate, Verdasco/Murray gate heat-gate, and now umpire gate. Seems to be a lot of “gates”. Wonder how long the fence is and it’s only Thursday of the first week. Most interesting and truly entertaining.
From what I have seen, we’ve had shot clock gate, heat gate, shirt gate, Verdasco/Murray gate and now umpire gate. Wonder how long the fence is.most interesting and highly entertaining.
Ricky, it may seem like a small point, but I think you should re-title this article “Lahyani adds “coach” and….” and replace “Mohamed” with “Lahyani” throughout.
I doubt you would refer to someone else by their first name consistently, and particularly with this name, some may find it disrespectful.
It’s his first name. If people don’t like it then direct complaints to his parents who named him as a baby. Talk about oversensitive… ^
Thanks Joe!!…First of all,why Ricky wrote ‘Mo!’ in his post up there?I don’t understand the function of it…
2ndly…’Mohamed’ is the usual & familiar name that were given to a baby boy when they were born…It’s an honour to our Prophet Mohammed…Almost all Muslim boys & men have that name…Like my son,i named him Mohammed Adam…And yeah!since it’s from Prophet’s name,it is disrespectful to ‘play’ with it to our hearts content even tho i knew most of u don’t have any idea how big this matter is actually…
Thank u once again Joe for your sensitivity!….I really really appreciate it!!
MA, thanks a lot for adding your point of view.
I don’t think that anyone here intends to be disrespectful. We use simplifications like “Djoker, Tsitsi, Fed” and other short cuts all the time. “Mo” has actually evolved into Layani’s most commonly used personal nickname. And it’s a simplification as well as a term of endearment, since he is very well liked. I would be interested how he himself thinks about it.
Btw: to put his behavior into a much needed perspective – Layani has a long established history of giving pep talks to the more volatile players, like Monfils, Tomic, Fognini et al. So far this has never been criticized officially, and most people like him because of his human touch. This is certainly good for the game. But so far it has never changed the outcome of a match in such an obvious manner, and I could imagine that from now on he will restrain himself a bit.
Thanks for that explaination MA.
LF, in this case, I believe Lahyani went much further than he usually does. He’s imo the best umpire I’ve seen but this was unfair to his opponent.
Hawks, agreed! This went much further than Layani’s usual behavior and it shouldn’t happen again. He should rethink his behavior and maybe apologize. The USTA should rethink their statement, too. As I said, I can understand that Herbert, whom I really like, is fuming.
I have a nagging suspicion, though, that a lot of the outrage is fuelled by the undeniable fact that Nick will (hopefully) be a way more challenging opponent for the goat than Herbert ever could’ve been, lol! Kyrgios/Fed matches have been crackers in the past. I was looking forward to that encounter and was deeply disappointed when Nick seemed to lose the plot. Therefore I’m certainly not sad at all that Nick turned that match around. We should give him some credit for actually doing so, btw. That got totally lost in the overall discussion. He shouldn’t be blamed for the umpire’s behavior, although a lot of people are doing just that, and I fear that the crowd will be totally against him on Saturday. I hope that he can bring it on nevertheless.
Kyrgios also tanked the 2nd set in his first match.
Re outrage, I’m not sure this relates to playing Federer as even I’m pretty shocked with how far he went. That’s a pretty slippery slope and what he did was definitely coaching. If his coach said that from the stands, Lahyani would have given a code violation.
Kyrgios should be blamed for his lack of effort and periodic tanking.
Here’s an interesting stat: In their three h2h meetings, 8 of 9 sets played have been tiebreaks with each player winning four!
I don’t think Kyrgios is in the form either mentally or physically to keep it that close in their first slam meeting in NY.
Federer in three losing 12 or less games is the call.
But it will still be a popcorn match for sure.
Hawks, yes, Kyrgios should be blamed for his behavior in the first two sets. But he shouldn’t be blamed for the umpire’s behavior, as even Herbert has pointed out. Nick didn’t ask for it and he didn’t encourage it in any way while it happened. You cannot compare this to a coaching violation at all. And I applaud him for winning the match eventually.
Do I believe that he will win against Fed? No, not likely. But I hope for a good match and hope that the crowd gives hin a fair chance.
Well, I absolutely CAN compare it to a coaching violation, in the right context – i.e., not blaming Kyrgios other than his lack of professionalism but, instead, blaming Layhani’s lack of professionalism and sheer hypocrisy with “coaching” Kyrgios when he’d be handing out coaching violations if the player’s coaches said those same words from the stands.
Re coaching violation: I was talking about Nick and if he should be blamed for the umpire’s behavior. I guess, we completely agree that he shouldn’t be blamed.
The umpire’s behavior is a completely different cup of tea in every sense. We shouldn’t even seriously discuss if coaching by an umpire is allowed. Of course it isn’t, and most people agree that a line was crossed. But I’m honestly not sure if Lahyani was seeing it this way at this particular moment. Therefore I do not see any obvious hypocrisy on his part here. He probably decided to talk to Nick and tell him to increase his effort or he would need to penalize him. Unlike a coach an umpire is perfectly allowed to talk to a player and ask him if he is physically allright and/or issue a warning. This has happened before with other umpires and other players and isn’t a problem per se. The problem here is that the umpire then did much more than just expressing concern for Nick’s health and issued a warning. It developed into an uplifting pep talk (it would be interesting btw to read the transcript of the whole conversation) and compromised his neutrality. He may have reached Nick emotionally in a way which a simple warning may never have.
I think that Andy Roddick’s and John McEnroe’s reactions are very interesting. They basically said that Lahyani violated the rules for the right reasons at the wrong moment. It may be the first time btw that Johnny Mac defended an umpire, lol! My first reaction was the same as Roddick’s and John McEnroe’s. The more I think about it, though, I’m not so sure anymore. The USTA would do well to rethink their initial reaction, and Lahyani should be penalized in order to reckognize officially that a line was crossed.
crossed the line but shouldn’t like be BANNED FOR LIFE
i would have been okay with suspended for rest of tournament, but no punishment (which was the final ruling) is fine
Ricky, banned for life would’ve been perfectly absurd, given his track record.
Respectfully, awareness is not a requirement for hypocrisy and seldom exists when it happens. It was very hypocritical IMO.
Kyrgios broke a rule (as he often does) by tanking which is against the rules. Lahyani was correct to investigate but his method overstepped his responsibility.
Herbert should definitely have protested the match right after that happened and Lahyani should have been removed from the chair.
Agree with Ricky (happens with the tsame frequency as JMac agreeing with an umpire) regarding penalty.
This was simply unacceptable:
“I want to help you,” Mohamed, who climbed down from his chair at the changeover and got face to face with the player, could be heard telling Kyrgios. “I want to help you. I’ve seen your matches: you’re great for tennis. Nick, I know this is not you.”
Hawks, the exact words used by Lahyani and quoted by you here, are also what bothers me most. They clearly show a lack of neutrality at this particular moment.
At the same time -and I may be in the complete minority here – I find them very touching and a very human gesture. Lahyani may have found just the right words for getting Nick out of his self destructive funk – at least for this match. Unfortunately Lahyani was absolutely not in the right position to give this kind of assistance to one specific player.
Hawks, you say that Herbert should’ve immediately issued a protest. Question: What could’ve been a possible realistic goal of such a protest? It would’ve been hardly possible to anull the match or give Herbert the win since Kyrgios cannot be blamed for the umpire’s behavior, and he also proceded to win the match eventually on his own terms. He could’ve been hardly expected to retire voluntarily after the questionable pep talk. It also cannot be strictly proven that a simple warning wouldn’t equally have a positive effect on Nick’s subsequent play. So, could Herbert have demanded that Lahyani would receive an appropriate penalty, or could he have demanded a financial compensation?
It’s not about Kyrgios. (Kyrgios was illegally tanking but that only led to the issue.)
(I’m not even sure if a player CAN protest a match.)
At the very least, Herbert should have asked for the tournament director and lodged a complaint, for example, to have Lahyani removed from the chair.
Results of a breach of duties:
5.2.6.1 a caution, reprimand and/or warning as to future conduct;
5.2.6.2 a fine payable by a specified date;
5.2.6.3 a compensation payment;
5.2.6.4 disqualification/expulsion from competitions and/or events, with all
resulting consequences;
5.2.6.5 a specified period of ineligibility from participating in any aspect of tennis
and/or in any activities controlled and/or sanctioned by the ITF; and/or
5.2.6.6 such other sanction(s) as the Panel deems appropriate.
Hawks, I read your words again and realize that you meant, Herbert should’ve protested during – and not after – the match, in order to have Lahyani removed from that particular match.
The problem is, that Herbert didn’t even realize what had happened, since he was minding his own business and didn’t get the exact words of the exchange. He said himself that his own game wasn’t negatively influenced by the incident. Only, when he saw the video, he became increasingly angry.
Littlefoot & Hawks!…Thank u so much too for your words!…Really really appreciate it!…Don’t worry!I understand your position completely guys!…And i not for 1 minute thought that u guys were disrespectful about it…Not at all!…In fact u guys r just amazing to my eyes with your understanding,sensitivity,caring…Feel sooo grateful to have u guys as a friend…Thank u both & others too!…
It’s just that,as a Muslim i feel the need to explain in hope that u guys will understand that the word ‘Mohammed’ is very important to me…That’s all guys!
MA ☺
MA, yes thank you for those words and I’m very grateful to learn from the information that you provide.
Hahaha….Love u both like i love my own brothers!!
https://comps.canstockphoto.com/flying-kiss-clip-art-vector_csp10169066.jpg
As someone who really likes all three persons concerned (I like Herbert – and his double partner in crime, Mahut – a lot, Lahyiani is one of my favorite umpires and I came to like Kyrgios as well and want him to fulfill his stunning potential as much as it is psychologically feasable for Nick), I don’t know what to think – except that I like the outcome of this affair a lot 😁😁😁
It also shows clearly that Kyrgios needs professional help, and it would be great if this episode leaves some kind of impression in Nick. He’s not just an entitled brat. He’s psychologically challenged and his behavior hurts himself most of the time far more than his opponents. And apparently not sanctions but compassion and kindness are the key for reaching him.
If I were Herbert, however, I would be livid! He was on the road to an easy victory. Mo clearly broke the rules and his actions had drastic consequences. I’m sure he knows this, though, and I doubt that he regrets his conduct. He might’ve gone to bed with a smile on his face. And since he’s one of the most respected umpires, there probably won’t be any far reaching consequences for him. As Ricky has explained, they have already found a way to sell this publicly – although everybody knows that this is not what actually happened 😁
I found Fed’s reaction VERY interesting btw. He clearly would’ve preferred Herbert, and depending on the outcome of his upcoming match against Nick, Mo might be on the eternal shit list of many Fed fans now, lol!
Herbert would have won.
In this mental state, Kyrgios not a serious threat to Federer. And if he was, the crowd would get on him. Even if he’s playing well, to beat fed in a slam vs best of 3 for him is a different matter.
👵😁
Watch the fur fly if Kyrgios DOES get the better of TMF.
I too have a soft spot for Herbert who must be seething over the outcome and have never been amused by the antics of Kyrgios. The sooner he seeks professional help to sort out his problems the better.
ed251137 AT 10:58 AM,
Here is Herbert’s statement (click on the text to enlarge it):
https://twitter.com/p2hugz/status/1035304305610444800/photo/1
Wonderful comments above, and I have great sympathy for Herbert, who handled the incident in a concerned but classy manner (much like Cornet & shirt-gate). I also disapprove of what Mohamed did, but he’s been so great for tennis over the years, I think he truly meant to do the right thing, so I’d give him a yellow card…not a red.
Scoot, I agree with your sentiments. I agree that Herbert reacted appropriately. And Layani has been a great asset for tennis and is human and very likeable. And maybe he should try to revive the Mars rover with a pep talk next ☺ But he should also understand that he went too far in this match.
And we should give Kyrgios some credit for overcoming his funk and actually win the match. It would be great if he would seek psychological help in the future although I don’t hold my breath. Probably won’t happen. But this incindent shows that it’s apparently possible to reach him – even if it’s not the umpire’s job to do so.
Nice one, Ricky. It’s Lahyani being Lahyani. He does all kinds of not-entirely-above-board things. This is hardly the first time – and almost certainly won’t be the last.
I know the players like him, I know tourney officials like him. I’ve seen fans ask HIM for autographs. He’s amiable and jovial.
Yet I can’t help but point out that for a chair umpire to deliberately insert him- or herself into a match and change the outcome compromises the integrity of the sport. The offense is, perhaps, not quite as egregious as when Mariana Alves flat-out cheated Serena Williams, but it’s close.
He should receive an official censure at the very least…but it has to be said. Relieving him of duty would probably be more appropriate. Sorry to say it.
Cheryl, umpires insert themselves all the time into the match and have the power to change the outcome. That is actually part of their job description. They aren’t just score keepers. They constantly direct a match with their judgements and often walk a fine line. What they shouldn’t do, though, is seeking actively the lime light. Therefore, giving autographs, may not be such a good idea, even if it seems to be harmless. I didn’t have the impression at all, though, that Layani was trying to seek the lime light yesterday.
Layani isn’t the first and the last umpires who overstepped certain lines and made mistakes . But that he is so respected and well liked by all factions – as even those have pointed out, who have criticized him for his behavior yesterday, tells me that he must be doing something right in his job.
I absolutely disagree, Littlefoot. They are charged with directing the match by ENFORCING the rules, not breaking them.
Cheryl, I tried to post a detailed answer, which unfortunately got lost in cyberspace, as it unfortunately does happen from time to time here.
So, let’s simply stand the disagreement on this subject.
Yes,if no rule has been broken,then they shouldn’t be influencing or even changing the outcome .The ideas absurd.
I agree with Cheryl’s statement.
On a related note, Kyrgios broke a rule. Layhani failed while doing his job of enforcing the rules.
Cheryl, I didn’t say at all that umpires should insert themselves by breaking the rules! Of course not! But they insert themselves into matches all the time by making certain decisions. That’s their job and it can change the outcome of a match. And they can actually break the rules when they believe that they are enforcing them, or are still within the accepted lines. Happens often enough. Just take the dicey time violation question. Even the shot clock hasn’t eliminated the controversies because it’s still in the hand of the umpire when to call the score which then starts the actual countdown. So, there’s still lots of leeway and judgement involved, as has been pointed out correctly by several players.
If all were black and white and binary decisions, we wouldn’t need the human element of chair umpires, and a computer could do the job.
https://www.playersvoice.com.au/nick-kyrgios-the-battle-raging-inside-me/#iIXelhC6ciQ4q4Tp.97
Very good read
A very belated thanks for the link, Patrick. Maybe Lahyani could tell NK that hanging around the house with his mates and playing video games is not a normal full time life style for anyone, let alone a 23 year old. There’s work and “work” means you do it even when you don’t much feel like it or would rather be doing something else. He’s complaining about his hip in that article – says he needs surgery – but afaik he still has not done anything about it.
¤¤ US Open to AP: Umpire at Kyrgios match will keep working.
NEW YORK (AP) — The chair umpire who climbed out of his seat to talk with Nick Kyrgios during a second-round match will continue to officiate during the U.S. Open.
A “comprehensive review conducted by a number of tournament officials” determined that chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani’s mid-match chat with Kyrgios went “beyond our protocol,” U.S. Tennis Association spokesman Chris Widmaier told The Associated Press on Friday.
But Widmaier said that Lahyani would not be sanctioned because of his “exemplary track record as an international tennis official.”
“He now has a better understanding of what our protocols are and was informed that he needs to stick to those protocols for the rest of the tournament,” Widmaier said. “Each of his matches will be monitored.” …
Widmaier said tournament referee Brian Earley and chief umpire Soeren Frienel were among those who “met with Mohamed several times following yesterday’s match” as part of the review.
Lahyani was expected to be assigned to work a match on Friday’s schedule, according to Widmaier. …¤¤
Read more:
https://www.apnews.com/4f27423a40814a8481c830ed9649f41a
Exactly. Lahyani went too far (well beyond what he usually does).
Augusta, thanks for the additional information.
Kyrgios has been encouraged by the media attention to act up in front of the crowd. He has admitted his lack of interest in tennis which is even more sad given he has a god-given natural talent for the game. Personally I find his behaviour insufferable and find it bizarre he has been lauded as the the next best thing since sliced bread. It’s not like he has achieved very much. He has 4 titles to his name (3 250 point and one 500 point) and ranks No. 13 in the world. He’s been embroiled in numerous controversial incidents and repeatably fined for bad behaviour, obscene profanities etc. etc
Not exactly a good role model for young players coming into the game.
😒 😒 😒
Personally I think Layhani ‘s behaviour was outrageous. Above and beyond anything else an umpire is supposed to be neutral and he is not supposed to show bias or favour to either side. If he starts helping one of the players it obviously sows seeds of doubt in the other as to his neutrality in other areas of the game. The umpire is really supposed to efface himself not push himself to the forefront like this.
Imagine what we rafa fans would be saying if rafa was scheduled to meet NK in the 3rd round. We would be furious!
I really hope he doesn’t beat fed.
Completely agree amy!
(except for that very last part)
#FedererWillWin
hawkeye Nick plays completely differently against the top players! And fed hasn’t been playing well recently…laver said he is starting to show his age and that was the main reason for how poor he was against no!e at cincy. He was tired from back to back matches so forcing everything.
Laver said rafa and Nole are the favourites at uso followed by delpo.
Rafa is now the betting favourite btw!!!
You never know for sure with Kyrgios, that’s true.
But in BO5, I can’t see Kyrgios having the attention span to deal with Federer and the crowd TBH. He almost did in Miami losing B03 (all tiebreaks 7-6 (11-9), 6-7 (9-11), 7-6 (7-5))!
Roger is offering great odds to win the USO. Great value bet IMO.