Musetti apologizes for on court outburst at coughing fans in Beijing

Lorenzo Musetti apologized on Saturday after an oncourt outburst directed at coughing spectators during his first-round match at the China Open in Beijing, an episode that sparked widespread criticism on social media and drew rebukes from Chinese state media. The 23-year-old Italian, seeded among the tournament favorites, said he regretted the remarks and blamed a moment of stress and tension during a tight second-set tiebreak.

Musetti was visibly frustrated during his three-set victory over France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on Friday and was filmed mimicking a person clearing their throat and saying in Italian, "They cough every three seconds." Videos of the incident circulated online and, according to local outlets including the state-owned The Paper and coverage in the Global Times, appeared to show Musetti also mouthing the words "damn Chinese." Those reports prompted a swift backlash on platforms such as Reddit and X, where users criticized the player for what they described as racist and disrespectful behavior toward Chinese fans.

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