Nick Kyrgios' on-court behaviour Thursday at the US Open earned him a visit from the chair umpire in an unusual move that sparked controversy and prompted tournament organizers to respond.
The conversation, which came when Kyrgios was down a set and trailing 3-0 in the second set against Pierre-Hugues Herbert, 27, of France, was atypical in a sport where players are left to fend for themselves during matches.
The Australian, seeded 30th, played down the incident, saying the umpire didn't coach him when he got out of his chair and spoke to Kyrgios for nearly minute.
"He wasn't coaching me at all," Kyrgios said. "It's ridiculous."
The 23-year-old turned the game around, winning the second set in a tie-breaker and going on to capture the match 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3, 6-0 and move on to the third round.
He maintained that what umpire Mohamed Lahyani told him was that the way he was playing was "not a good look" for the sport.
"I know what I was doing out there wasn't good," Kyrgios admitted.
But Kyrgios insisted it wasn't coaching and said he had been spoken to by chair umpires similarly in the past. He also said he got some salt packets because he was hot as the temperature hit 32 degrees Celsius.
Tournament organizers issued a statement saying the noise level in the stadium during the changeover prompted Lahyani to come out of the chair "to make sure he could communicate effectively with Kyrgios."
The statement said Lahyani was concerned that Kyrgios might need medical attention.
Lahyani "also informed Kyrgios that if his seeming lack of interest in the match continued, he would "need to take action," the statement said.
The incident also sparked sharp tweets from some people who criticized the umpire and others castigating Kyrgios, who is known for somewhat erratic behaviour.
"Didn't know umpires were allowed to give pep talks," Donna Vekic, girlfriend of Stan Wawrinka, tweeted.
Kyrgios wasted no time replying in a tweet.
"Haha IRONIC coming from someone who gets on court coaching every week of the year and also out of the US Open," he said.
Kyrgios' win over Herbert means he advances to round three where Roger Federer awaits on Saturday.