Musetti apologises for outburst at ‘coughing’ China Open fans

Italian tennis player Lorenzo Musetti apologised on Saturday for an on-court outburst at people coughing in the crowd at the China Open.

The 23-year-old was visibly frustrated at one moment of his three-set win over Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on Friday in Beijing.

The fourth seed mimicked a person clearing their throat and said in Italian: “They cough every three seconds.”

Local media, including state-owned The Paper, accused him of also mouthing “damn Chinese”.

“My words were directed only at a few individuals in the crowd who were coughing repeatedly and disturbing the play,” Musetti wrote on Instagram on Saturday.

“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 realise that the way I expressed myself was wrong and inappropriate, and it hurt many Chinese fans’ feelings.”

He next plays 37-year-old Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the last 16 of the China Open.

Musetti lost the Chengdu Open final to qualifier Alejandro Tabilo of Chile on Tuesday.

The Italian’s remorse comes after American Taylor Townsend received a backlash for making disparaging comments about food served in China while competing at the Billie Jean King Cup in Shenzhen.

The US Open doubles finalist later pulled out of the China Open citing schedule changes.