Kyrgios controversy snowballs as more stars jump in

Nick Kyrgios found himself at the center of yet another controversy at the US Open on Thursday, and this time, everyone got involved, from his opponent Pierre Hugues-Herbert to Donna Vekic, Andy Murray and Dominic Thiem.

To start from the beginning, Kyrgios was underperforming in his second-round match against Herbert, down a set and 0-3. On the changeover, umpire Mohamed Lahyani got down from his chair and gave Kyrgios what's been described as a pep talk.

"I want to help you," Lahyani was heard saying.

Kyrgios then came back to dominate the match, winning it 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-0.

Of course, a lot of people, Herbert included, thought it was unfair that Kyrgios was seemingly being helped by the umpire. He wasn't angry with Kyrgios, but was upset with Lahyani.

Donna Vekic, who's been dragged into drama by Kyrgios before, was quick to chime in.

Kyrgios responded two ill-thought-out tweets, both of which have been deleted.

Kyrgios later apologized.

But Vekic's boyfriend, Stan Wawrinka, had a message of his own:

And Murray, who never minds giving his friend Kyrgios a hard time, commented on the Aussie's Instagram post: "When you going to announce mohamed lahyani as your new coach?"

Thiem added: "@andymurray you are a legend."

And Bethanie Mattek-Sands said: "@andymurray Pep Talk of the year."

The US Open released a statement that simply just described the incident without saying anything. Later, they released a second statement.

"After a comprehensive review conducted by US Open officials, including US Open Tournament Director David Brewer, Tournament Referee Brian Earley and others, the US Open determined that chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani’s conduct during Thursday’s second-round match involving Nick Kyrgios and Pierre-Hugues Herbert went beyond protocol. Lahyani was advised to adhere to proper protocols in all matches that he officiates moving forward.

Lahyani will continue to officiate during the 2018 US Open. His performance will continue to be evaluated, as will that of all chair umpires throughout the course of the US Open."

The umpire is a big player favorite.

Roger Federer, who has to play Kyrgios next, was pretty displeased in press.

"It's not the umpire's role to go down from the chair," Federer said. "He was there for too long. It's a conversation. Conversations can change your mindset. It can be a physio, a doctor, an umpire for that matter. That's why it won't happen again."

Federer also retweeted Andy Roddick's take:

All three of Federer and Kyrgios' previous meetings were decided by final-set tiebreaks, with Federer winning the last two.