Something very unusual happened at the US Open this year. During a match between Nick Kyrgios and Pierre-Hugues Herbert, the chair umpire climbed down from his chair to talk with Kyrgios. Prior to the conversation between the umpire and Kyrgios, Kyrgios was behind in the match, clearly showing little effort, and the crowd was booing. It would have been appropriate for the umpire (from his chair) to inquire as to the health and well-being of Kyrgios, or to reprimand him for not giving his best effort. The umpire claims that he did not talk with Kyrgios from his chair because he did not think he would be heard over the volume of the crowd, so he climbed down, went to the side of Kyrgios, and talked with him. There are recordings of the conversation between the umpire and Kyrgios, including these lines from the umpire:
"I want to help you."
"I've seen your matches."
"You're great for tennis."
"Nick, I know this is not you."
Kyrgios came back and ended up winning the match. His opponent claimed the conversation could have been a contributing factor influencing the win. The defeated Herbert said, "It's not the umpire's role to go down from the chair. You don't go and speak like that in my opinion. He was there for too long. Conversations can change your mindset."
That last sentence of Herbert's is telling. A conversation can change a mindset. After taking a break and hearing the umpire express confidence in him, I think Kyrgios came back with renewed energy and determination.
Kyrgios denies that the conversation influenced him saying, "I wasn't really listening to him."
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