Lorenzo Musetti has outburst at Shanghai Masters after fan's daring stunt
Musetti faced backlash for his comments aimed at fans in Beijing, then complained to the umpire again in Shanghai before losing to Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Following a forced apology for his explosive outburst at the China Open, Lorenzo Musetti has once more voiced his frustrations about spectators coughing while he serves.
The 23-year-old Musetti has experienced his most successful tennis season to date, advancing to the semifinals at the French Open before an impressive quarterfinal appearance at the US Open.
During those Grand Slam tournaments, he was eliminated by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Yet, he has recently found himself embroiled in controversy over his poorly-chosen remarks in Beijing, and suffered a loss at the Shanghai Masters on Wednesday.
The Italian athlete alleged that Chinese spectators were "always coughing" as he became increasingly irritated by disruptions during his service games.
Throughout his Wednesday loss at the Shanghai Masters, Musetti lodged another complaint, with one spectator even caught on camera opening a bottle of champagne in the stands.
Felix Auger-Aliassime dominated Musetti on Wednesday, securing a 6-4, 6-2 victory in the Round of 16.
During the opening game of the second set, a loud pop echoed through the crowd, with cameras capturing a man uncorking a bottle of Moet.
While he enjoyed his beverage, the individual seated beside him sheepishly covered her mouth.
Musetti, however, held his tongue until later in the second set.
The Italian faltered during his service game, and as Auger-Aliassime prepared to serve for the match, Musetti appealed to the umpire.
"I know I made a mistake and I said something wrong, but please say something to them," he pleaded. Auger-Aliassime claimed victory in his service game, ending the match and leaving Musetti visibly upset as he exited the court.
This follows his controversial remarks at the China Open in September, where he insinuated that the coughing from the crowd was intentional.
During a second-set tiebreaker against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on Sept. 26, Musetti lost his cool with the audience.
"They are always coughing, these f------ Chinese," he yelled out. "They are always coughing, for f--- sake. They cough every three seconds."
Despite winning the match and advancing to the quarterfinals of the China Open, Musetti faced significant backlash on social media and accusations of racism.
The following day, Musetti took to his Instagram profile to issue an apology. While trying to justify his heated outburst, he conceded that there was no excuse for his words.
"I would like to sincerely apologize for what I said in frustration yesterday during my match," Musetti penned. "My words were directed only at a few individuals in the crowd who were coughing repeatedly and disturbing the play.
"They were never, in any way, meant for the Chinese people. It happened in a moment of stress and tension in the second tiebreak, but still, this is no excuse at all."