Last week, Lorenzo Musetti landed himself in quite a pickle. The Italian was deep into his China Open swing in his opener against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard when an audience member reportedly coughed during his serve. He didn’t take it lightly. Fired up, he turned toward the crowd, mocking them with fake coughs. Later, netizens translated his allegedly rude comments in Italian and circulated them on social media. He’s since apologized for the outburst, but fans weren’t about to let it slip as he moved on to Shanghai.
The Italian No. 2 walked into his Wednesday clash with Felix Auger-Aliassime chasing an ATP Finals spot. But that dream took a big hit with a stinging 6-4, 6-2 defeat. However, during the match, Musetti’s fight seemed more with the crowd. He claimed they made noise on his serve, from popping champagne bottles reported by Jose Morgado on X to even sneezing, and snapped at the umpire to step in.
Picked up on the mic, he admitted, “I know I made a mistake and I said something wrong, but please say something to them,” the clip that was all over X in minutes.
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Sky Sports Tennis commentator Colin Fleming wasn’t buying Musetti’s complaint. Watching live, he suggested the noise hardly crossed the line. “It’s not a good look, is it? If he were 6-2, 5-4 up, he would not be mentioning it. I don’t think it’s been noticeably bad. In any crowd of any size, there is going to be some noise,” he said on air.
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Following this, frustration boiled over as Musetti’s game collapsed. He vented at the spectators and the umpire as the match slipped away. Inside the arena, the energy felt normal enough, but the tension was unmistakable.
After the Beijing blow-up, Musetti had tried to make amends. In his apology, he noted that his frustrated words were never aimed at Chinese fans:
“My words were directed only at a few individuals in the crowd who were coughing repeatedly and disturbing the play,” Lorenzo Musetti wrote. “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. I realize that the way I expressed myself was wrong and inappropriate, and it hurt many Chinese fans’ feelings. I deeply regret it and feel very remorseful.”
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Still, the damage was done. He then exited the China Open in the next round against Learner Tien, and now he’s out of Shanghai too. For an Italian chasing a precious ATP Finals slot, it’s a sticky spot. And after losing to the Canadian, the question now is—how does he really feel?
Lorenzo Musetti expresses mixed feelings over the loss
With both men in the thick of the ATP Finals race, the stakes were sky high. The Canadian brought his A-game, firing on all cylinders to take it in straight sets. Musetti just couldn’t find the right feel, and the match slipped away fast.
“I feel like I wasted a chance here in Shanghai,” Lorenzo admitted after the loss. “He played really well and was impeccable with his serve, as well as making a few unforced errors. I had a few chances, but I didn’t manage the match in the best way.” Auger-Aliassime, the 12th seed, cruised 6-4, 6-2 in 85 minutes, breaking three times. Next up, he will face Arthur Rinderknech in Friday’s quarter-finals.
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The clash had big Live Race to Turin drama. Musetti, sitting eighth, could have built a cushion over tenth-placed Auger-Aliassime. Instead, the Canadian scored his fifth Top 10 win of 2025 and closed the gap to just 530 points, pushing him a step closer to what he’s been chasing for three years.
But for Musetti, the sting runs deeper. “That episode in Beijing turned the Chinese fans against me and I’m sorry,” he said. “This factor affected my head and I was more nervous than usual.” Now, with Shanghai done and dusted, the Paris Masters is his last big chance. The question is: Can he shake off both the loss and the crowd’s disapproval, and roar back stronger?