Lorenzo Musetti Apologizes After Disrespectful Comment at Beijing Open

On his debut at the Beijing Open, Lorenzo Musetti defeated Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 to reach the second round. The victory was his fourth against the Frenchman — whom he had previously beaten on grass in Stuttgart and Wimbledon in 2024, and on hard courts at last month’s US Open — and a much-needed boost after recent disappointments.

Just a couple of days earlier in Chengdu, Musetti had lost the final to Alejandro Tabilo, falling 7-6 in the third set despite holding two match points at 6-5. It was his second consecutive final defeat in Chengdu (in 2024 it was Juncheng Shang who got the best of him) and his fifth straight loss in an ATP final, extending a three-year title drought since his last triumph in Naples in 2022.

Despite the win in Beijing, however, the spotlight quickly shifted from Musetti’s performance to a controversial outburst during the second-set tie-break.

What happened in Beijing

At 4-3 in the tie-break, after netting a forehand and losing the point, Musetti shouted in Italian a disrespectful comment towards Chinese people: “They’re always coughing, these damn Chinese,” (translation by me) before mimicking a cough. The remark was caught on camera and quickly spread across social media, drawing criticism from fans who deemed it offensive and inappropriate.

Some even recalled past incidents involving the Italian, including a controversial moment at the French Open, when he accidentally struck a line umpire after kicking a ball in frustration.

Acknowledging the backlash, Musetti addressed the issue the following day with a public apology on his social media accounts.