Lorenzo Musetti cut a frustrated figure during his round of 16 clash with Felix Auger-Aliassime at this year’s Shanghai Masters as he battled distractions on court shortly before he was downed in straight sets.
The world No 9 had been looking to super-charge performances at the final tournaments of his season in a bid to boost his chances of featuring in his first ATP Finals at the end of the year, in front of home fans in Turin.
In September, the 23-year-old enjoyed an impressive run in New York at the US Open before he was despatched by his compatriot, and defending champion, Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals.
Musetti then travelled to Chengdu in a bid to sharpen up his hard-court form at the start of the Asian swing, eventually reaching the final before defeat to Chilean Alejandro Tabilo in the ATP 250 competition.
But as he prepared for a tilt at the title in Beijing, Musetti found himself in hot water after an irritated interaction with fans during his match against Giovanni Mpetshi-Perricard in the first round.
Distracted by noise from the stands, Musetti ranted: ‘They are always coughing, these f***ing Chinese.
Lorenzo Musetti lost his concentration and became distracted by the crowd during his defeat to Felix Auger-Aliassime
The Italian No 2 had previously vented his frustrations in Beijing – and found himself accused of being racially insensitive
‘They are always coughing, for f***’s sake. They cough every three seconds.’
The controversial remarks appeared to some as racially insensitive, and Musetti was forced into a groveling social media apology where the player stressed that he ‘respects (Chinese fans) deeply’ and that despite his frustration, he had ‘never, in any way, meant (his comments) for the Chinese people’, only a ‘few individuals disturbing the play’.
Musetti retired during his third-match at the China Open, and was booed off by some fans present, perhaps due to the shockwaves from his initial remarks.
But in Shanghai, the Olympic bronze medalist found it similarly difficult to focus.
During the opening game of the second set, one fan opted to pop open a bottle of Moet & Chandon Champagne, audible from the court.
The decision from the fan was a surprising one, but not uncommon among supporters of the sport, with Wimbledon a frequent crime scene for Champagne cork-related offences.
Musetti held his tongue however, until later on in the clash as Auger-Aliassime was preparing to serve for the match.
The player appeared to be frustrated with what he insinuated were deliberate coughs in the stands, and appealed to the umpire for clemency.
In an outlandish move one fan popped a bottle of Champagne between his first and second serves in the second set
The man’s companion in the stands appeared embarrassed by his suspicious tennis etiquette
Musetti later believed he heard people coughing and insinuated they were doing so because of his previous controversial comments
‘I know I made a mistake, and I said something wrong, but please say something to them,’ Musetti said, referencing the controversy in Beijing.
Returning to the court, Musetti was quickly snuffed out by his Canadian opponent 6-4, 6-2, and as he headed down the tunnel, he seemed to still be somewhat wound up.
Although a stop on the tour where players have been welcomed with open arms by ardent fans looking to shower them with thoughtful gifts, tennis stars have at times created similarly controversy in China with behaviour deemed racist or insensitive.
Ahead of the Billie Jean King Cup finals in Shenzen this September, US star Taylor Townsend openly mocked Chinese food served at an event before the tournament got underway, deriding the choice of ‘bullfrog’ and ‘sea cucumber’ – both delicacies in local cuisine – on the menu.
Last year, former world No 2 Paula Badosa was also targeted on social media after she appeared to pull her eyes back with chopsticks in a picture posted to Instagram.
