Nick Kyrgios demanded a US Open linesman be removed after the official informed the match umpire of the use of bad language from the Australian.
Kyrgios was in action in the second night session match on Arthur Ashe Stadium against Russian Andrey Rublev.
Early on in the first set, Kyrgios began to moan about not being able to see the ball because of the lights.
The 24-year-old could be heard saying: “I can’t see the ball. I’m just guessing.”
At 3-3 and 40-15 on the Rublev serve, Kyrgios continued to talk at the back of the court and a linesperson approached the umpire Eva Asderaki and relayed a message.
Then at the change of ends at 4-3, Asderaki spoke to Kyrgios about what she had been told.
Kyrgios berated the linesman saying: “What the f*** you doing?”
He then shouted “whistleblower” before telling the umpire to “get him off”.
Kyrgios would go on to lose the first set in a tiebreak and during the second game of the second set, he told his support team: “Call of Duty has ruined me.
“I can’t see bro. I low-key can’t see.”
Speaking earlier in the day, tennis legend John McEnroe felt Kyrgios was suffering from a fear of failure.
“His fear of failure is so great that he wouldn’t train hard enough to put himself in a position where he would be vulnerable,” he said on Amazon Prime.
“Hopefully that’s changing slowly but surely at 24.
“I’m still holding out hope.”