Musetti is the latest tennis star to apologize to Chinese fans after coughing outburst

Lorenzo Musetti of Italy reacts during play against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard of France in a men's singles match for the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, China, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

BEIJING — Lorenzo Musetti has become the latest tennis star to apologize to Chinese fans.

“I am truly sorry. I respect you deeply, I feel at home here, and I value the warmth and kindness I have always received from you,” the 23-year-old Italian said in a message he posted Saturday on social media.

Musetti was annoyed by coughing in the crowd during his round-of-32 win on Friday against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at the China Open in Beijing, where he shouted “these (expletive) Chinese are always coughing.”

That outburst prompted a flurry of outrage on social media, with people commenting on one of his previous Instagram posts to accuse Musetti of being a racist, along with insults and slurs against the Italian culture.

“I would like to sincerely apologize for what I said in frustration yesterday during my match,” Musetti continued in Saturday’s post. “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.”

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

American tennis star Taylor Townsend apologized on Sept. 17 for making disparaging comments about Chinese food before the United States played Kazakhstan at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Shenzhen, China.

Townsend had posted videos of local dishes including bullfrogs and turtles and joked she would need to “talk to HR” about the quality of the food. She took to Instagram again to apologize after facing a backlash online and said “everyone has been so kind and so gracious.”

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The Associated Press