Musetti is the latest tennis star, apologizing to Chinese fans after coughing
Beijing – Lorenzo Musetti has become the latest tennis star to apologize to Chinese fans.
“I’m really sorry. I have a deep respect for you, I feel at home here, and I value the warmth and kindness I’ve always received from you,” the 23-year-old Italian said in a message he posted on social media on Saturday.
Musetti was annoyed in the crowd in 32 wins against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at the China Open in Beijing on Friday.
“I want to sincerely apologize for what I said in frustration yesterday,” Musetti wrote on Instagram. “My words are only directed to a few people in the crowd who repeatedly coughed and disturbed the script. In any way, they never meant to the Chinese people. This happened in the stress and tension moments of the second tiebreak, but it was not an excuse at all.”
He added: “I realized that the way I expressed myself was wrong and inappropriate, which hurts the feelings of many Chinese fans.”
American tennis star Taylor Townsend apologized on September 17 for his derogatory comments about playing Kazakhstan in the final of the Billie Jean King Cup in Shenzhen, China.
Townsend released videos of local dishes, including bullfrogs and turtles, and joked that she needed to “talk to HR” to understand the quality of the food. She went to Instagram again to apologize after facing backlash online and said, “Everyone is so friendly and kind.”
