"Never felt comfortable after what happened": Lorenzo Musetti opens up about experience in China after making controversial remarks

Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti has admitted that he created an unnecessary situation during the Shanghai Open about his remarks regarding the audience sitting in the arena. The 23-year-old suffered a defeat in the fourth round of the ongoing ATP 1000 event to Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-4.

During the contest, Musetti was not only troubled by his opponent but also by people sitting in the arena. He went on to complain to the chair umpire more than once after a few people in the arena started coughing during his serve. "I know I made a mistake and I said something wrong, but please say something to them,” said Musetti to the chair umpire while complaining about the crowd’s behaviour.

The episode was a continuation of what happened in the previous match, where Musetti, out of anger at the fans’ coughing, ended up abusing the crowd in the arena. "Those damn Chinese... They cough every three seconds,” said Musetti, according to the reports in the local media in China.

Later, Musetti apologised for his outburst. In a post on his Instagram account, Musetti wrote that his comments were not directed at all Chinese people but at a section of those sitting in the arena. "I would like to sincerely apologize for what I said in frustration yesterday during my match," wrote Musetti. "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. I realize that the way I expressed myself was wrong and inappropriate, and it hurt many Chinese fans' feelings."

Musetti spoke to Spazio Tennis after being knocked out of the Shanghai Masters, admitting he had created unnecessary controversy with those remarks. Musetti also highlighted that he ‘never felt comfortable’ in China after making those comments.

“I created this unfavorable atmosphere a little bit myself,” said Musetti. “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 later spoke about his fourth-round opponent, Auger-Aliassime, and praised his performance. Musetti also admitted that while his opponent was playing his best tennis, his own performance was nowhere near as good as it should have been.

“Did I feel I could achieve a great result? I was definitely aware I could do better in Shanghai,” said Musetti. “It's a bit of a wasted opportunity, for the Race and for the result. It won't be easy to digest. He [Auger-Aliassime] played well, especially on serve. He was aggressive and at the same time made few errors from the baseline. I, for my part, had a few chances, a 0-40 to break back in the first set and a few 15-30s, but I was never able to turn the situation around and get into the match in the second. From a nervous point of view, it was a poorly managed match.”

Despite losing in the fourth round, Musetti remains very much alive in the recent to secure a spot in the ATP Finals this year. As things stand, Musetti is currently placed in eighth spot in the ATP rankings, for now, with 3,645 rating points. The only way he can go out of the top eight is if Auger-Aliassime goes on to win the title in Shanghai. The Canadian tennis star is currently ranked in 13th position in the ATP rankings with 3,105 points. If he goes on to win the ongoing ATP 1000 event in Shanghai, Auger-Aliassime’s points tally will increase to 3,705.