Follow us on Google Discover Lorenzo Musetti is out of the Shanghai Masters under a cloud of controversy once again.
Musetti has had some fitness issues to contend with this year, and although he’s played some good tennis over in Asia, he was no match for Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Musetti perhaps did go into this match as the favourite, but his chances of making the ATP Finals have taken a real blow with a 6-4, 6-2 defeat.
In Chengdu last month, Musetti was complaining about the fans who had come to watch him and now he’s back to those types of antics after his latest defeat.
Photo by Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty ImagesWhat riled Lorenzo Musetti during defeat to Felix Auger-Aliassime
Last month, Musetti apologised to Chinese tennis fans on Instagram after some complaints he had with their behaviour that proved way out of order.
He admitted that the way he expressed himself on the court against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard was out of line after making some derogatory comments.
Having been given some stick in Shanghai, Musetti went and risked their wrath all over again by complaining to the umpire when on the cusp of defeat to Auger-Aliassime.
Musetti suggested that fans were making noise when he was trying to serve, and he took his anger out on the umpire and demanded action.
He was picked up on the microphone saying: “I know I made a mistake and I said something wrong, but please say something to them.”
Colin Fleming doesn’t side with Lorenzo Musetti over Shanghai Masters crowd incident
Fleming was covering the game for Sky Sports Tennis, and he’s not sure that Musetti had a point on this occasion.
Clearly, the Italian was somewhat disgruntled with the way he was being blown off the court and decided to take his frustration out on the fans and the umpire.
Fleming was having none of it, suggesting that the crowd noise didn’t appear to be over the top as Musetti was implying.
He said live on air: “It’s not a good look, is it? If he were 6-2, 5-4 up, he would not be mentioning it. I don’t think it’s been noticeably bad. In any crowd of any size, there is going to be some noise.
“We had the champagne cork (at Wimbledon). It’s not deliberate. I think what this is is just frustration spilling over, and he needs to watch it here because it’s not the way to go.
“I actually think that the crowd is very respectful to the players, and that’s why it’s so quiet and you hear some coughing, but at any big crowd, you are going to get that.
Musetti will now remain sweating on his place in the ATP Finals, and perhaps he will be glad to see the back of the Asian swing for 2025.