Lorenzo Musetti angered by Chinese crowd again after previous incident
NewsThursday, 09 October 2025 at 14:55
Lorenzo Musetti struggled to cope after feeling the consequences of his actions while competing at the 2025 Shanghai Masters.
Musetti generated massive controversy at the 2025 China Open in Beijing when he accused the "damn Chinese" of continually disrupting play by coughing, understandably infuriating many locals.
The Italian apologized for his remarks, but that was never going to appease everyone. Many fans deliberately coughed during his next two matches, and others held banners ridiculing Musetti.
Although he stayed calm during the matches, Musetti stared at a group of fans directing abuse at him after retiring against Learner Tien in Beijing. He stopped himself from getting into further trouble by walking away.
However, Musetti was impacted by how fans treated him during his Shanghai Masters round of 16 contest against Felix Auger-Aliassime. Many spectators consistently coughed towards the 23-year-old while he tried to focus.
With the match as good as over at 4-6, 2-5 with a double break in the second to Auger-Aliassime, Musetti asked the umpire to say something about the coughing between his first and second serves.
"Come on, it happens on every point. I understand a few times … I made a mistake, OK, but this is not possible every point. It’s too much. Say something.”
Auger-Aliassime completed victory in the next game, meaning fans did not have another opportunity to distract Musetti on serve. The Canadian, who can still qualify for the 2025 ATP Finals, will next face Arthur Rinderknech.
When speaking to Spazio Tennis, Musetti seemed somewhat relieved that his time in China was over. The 2025 French Open semifinalist admitted it had been a challenging time and that he never felt fully settled since the controversy he caused.
"I created this unfavorable atmosphere a little bit myself. This month in China wasn’t easy, I never felt comfortable after what happened. This, in my mind, had an impact even though there were fans on my side. The nerves came from something inside me and it led me astray during the match."
Musetti does not have much time off before his scheduled appearance at the 2025 European Open in Brussels. He currently occupies the eighth and final spot for the ATP Finals, which will be held on home turf for him, if he makes it, in Turin.
Auger-Aliassime's win against Musetti gives him a chance to go far in Shanghai and close the points gap. The race for the year-end championships could be one of the most thrilling ever seen on the ATP Tour.
Musetti suffered a brutal final loss earlier in the Asian swing
Before Musetti's comments at the China Open caused widespread anger, the former world No. 1 had received much sympathy after losing a fifth consecutive ATP final at the 2025 Chengdu Open after holding match points.
Musetti covered his face while crying afterward. Despite his improvements in the last few years, the Italian's last tournament victory was almost three years ago at the 2022 Napoli Cup. That is a lengthy drought for someone of his quality.
The European Open will be his next opportunity to end that barren streak, and he might have a better mindset after leaving China.
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