Mohamed Lahyani is one of the most admired and respected umpires on the tennis tour. Here is one more reason to admire Lahyani. When Indian Wells matches were interrupted by rain this week, Lahyani was seen picking up trash along with the tournament ushers.

In 2014, a survey of journalists at the World Tour Finals voted Mohamed Lahyani as the best chair umpire. But Lahyani’s umpiring career has not been without controversies. At the 2018 US Open, he encouraged Nick Kyrgios to try harder in his match against Pierre-Hugues Herbert. Lahyani was suspended for two tournaments for his behavior.

Lahyani was the chair umpire for the longest match ever played – John Isner Vs Nicolas Mahut at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. Lahyani was born in Morocco but his family moved to Sweden when he was a child. He currently lives in Spain.

Iga Swiatek has pledged to donate $50,000 of her prize money to support World Mental Health Day. Switaek announced the news after her third round win at Indian Wells. She said that her charitable donation was inspired by Venus Williams, who recently launched an initiative to provide $2 million for free mental health therapy.

Mental health has been a focus in tennis recently. Naomi Osaka raised mental health awareness by pulling out of the post-match press conferences at the French Open.

Swiatek said:

I would say in sports, for me it was always important to use that kind of help because I always thought that in my mental toughness there is some strength that I can use on court and I can also develop in that manner.

In 2020, Iga Swiatek created history by becoming the first Polish player ever to win a singles grand slam. Swiatek is also a favorite among fans. She was voted the WTA Fan Favorite Singles Player of the Year in 2020.