Even the Umpire Was Speechless! Musetti Complains About Chinese Fans’ Coughing — Twice in Just 12 Days

Musetti Loses His Cool Again: Complains About Chinese Fans’ Coughing for the Second Time in 12 Days

On October 8, world No. 9 Lorenzo Musetti suffered a surprise defeat at the Shanghai Masters, bowing out 0–2 to 12th seed Félix Auger-Aliassime in the men’s singles Round of 16. But it wasn’t just the loss that drew attention — once again, Musetti’s frustration boiled over as he blamed Chinese spectators for coughing too much, leaving even the umpire at a loss for words.

A Shocking Exit in Shanghai

Under the bright lights of the night session, Musetti struggled from the very first set. He was broken in the fifth game and went on to lose 4–6. The second set only got worse: the Italian was broken twice and fell 2–6, crashing out of the tournament without much resistance.

Complaints and Frustration Boil Over

As the match slipped away, Musetti’s emotions got the better of him. Distracted and visibly irritable, he reacted sharply to the slightest noise from the stands. In the seventh game of the second set — right after dropping his serve — he marched to the chair umpire to complain.

“I know I made a mistake earlier, I said something wrong,” he said heatedly, “but please, can you warn them?”

“On every single point, please, every point, they do this! I need your understanding, but they can’t keep coughing on every point!” Musetti exclaimed, insisting the persistent coughing from the audience had thrown off his serve.

The umpire tried to calm him down, explaining, “You have to trust me — they’re definitely not doing it on purpose.” But Musetti wouldn’t let it go: “It’s just too much. Please, say something!”

Umpire Left Speechless

Despite Musetti’s repeated protests, the umpire chose not to intervene further. Moments later, Musetti lost another game — and then the match, going down 2–6 in the second set.

A Repeat of an Old Controversy

This wasn’t the first time Musetti had vented about Chinese spectators. Just 12 days earlier, during the China Open in Beijing, he was caught on camera muttering, “Those damn Chinese people are always coughing. They don’t stop. Every three minutes, they cough again.”

Although Musetti later apologized for those remarks, promising greater respect toward local fans, his outburst in Shanghai suggests the lesson didn’t stick.

Now, fans and officials alike are left wondering — will Musetti finally learn to keep his composure on court, or will his temper continue to overshadow his talent?