Wimbledon umpire was banned for controversial comment to Nick Kyrgios midway through match

An umpire who has previously officiated at Wimbledon was briefly banned after he made a comment to Nick Kyrgios during a match.

Mohamed Lahyani, a well-known umpire in the tennis world, was suspended from two scheduled tournaments in September 2018 following a bizarre moment at the US Open.

The incident in question took place on Court No. 17, shortly after Kyrgios lost the first set of his second-round match with France's Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

After falling behind 3-0 in the second set, Kyrgios appeared to be throwing in the towel when Lahyani climbed down from his chair to engage in conversation with the Australian player.

As per multiple sources, Lahyani could be heard saying: "I want to help you, I want to help you", "I've seen your matches: you're great for tennis;" and "I can see that; I know this is not you."

Kyrgios would go on to record a 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-0 victory over Herbert, but the actions of one of the longest-serving umpires on the ATP tour was the biggest talking point.

At the time, The United States Tennis Association released a statement claiming that Lahyani had left his chair because of the noise level in the stadium, and that he was concerned about Kyrgios' health.

"Lahyani was concerned that Kyrgios might need medical attention," the statement read. "Lahyani told Kyrgios that if he was feeling ill, that the tournament could provide medical help."

It added: "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."

Kyrgios denied that the umpire had given him a pep talk, adding: "It wasn't words of encouragement. He said he liked me. Again, he said it didn't look good. I wasn't feeling well."

But days later, the ATP banned Lahyani from the China Open and Shanghai Masters following an internal review.

A statement from the men's governing body read: "Lahyani's actions in the match were deemed to have compromised the impartiality that is required of an official."

Gayle David Bradshaw, ATP's executive vice president of rules and competition, described Lahyani as a "world-class and highly-respected official", but added that his actions during the match crossed a line that compromised his own impartiality as a chair umpire.

"Although well-intended, his actions were regrettable and cannot go without disciplinary action on our own tour," Bradshaw added. "We know that he will learn from this experience and we look forward to welcoming him back in October."

Lahyani has officiated some of the more well-known games in tennis history, including the longest match of all time – a game between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon that lasted 11 hours and five minutes.