Lorenzo Musetti’s run at the Shanghai Masters ended in a familiar way, leaving more questions than answers.
While he’s shown flashes of strong play during his time in Asia, Felix Auger-Aliassime proved far too strong this time around. Fitness has been a talking point for Musetti throughout 2023, and it showed again in this contest.
He may have started as the slight favourite, but a 6-4, 6-2 loss has done his ATP Finals hopes no favours at all. Every match counts at this stage of the season, and this was one he couldn’t afford to lose.
Musetti’s reaction to defeat didn’t help matters either. Just last month in Chengdu, he took aim at fans after a poor showing and found himself back under the spotlight for similar reasons following his exit in Shanghai.
Lorenzo Musetti faces criticism over handshake after loss
The Italian wasn’t happy with how things went down on court or off it. After Felix sealed the win, Musetti gave what looked like an insincere handshake before making his way straight out of there.
This sort of behaviour is becoming an unwanted trend for him. Fans are growing frustrated not just by the results but also by how he handles setbacks.
After what happened against Felix Auger-Aliassime and some recent behaviour issues, all eyes will be on how Musetti bounces back when he heads to France for the final Masters event of the year.
Lorenzo Musetti clashes with fans again after loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime
Just last month, Musetti posted an apology on Instagram after criticising the behaviour of Chinese tennis fans, admitting his comments during a match against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard were out of line.
Despite the backlash in Shanghai, he found himself back in a similar situation. Facing defeat to Auger-Aliassime, Musetti complained to the umpire about noise from the crowd while he was serving.
Frustrated by what he felt was consistent noise during his service games, he took it out on the umpire and called for action.
Musetti was heard saying: “I know I made a mistake and I said something wrong, but please say something to them.”
Lorenzo Musetti hasn’t been quiet about his frustration with fans
Last month, Musetti took to Instagram to apologise for comments he made about Chinese tennis fans that were well out of order.
He’d made some harsh remarks during a match against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and later admitted his behaviour had crossed the line.
Now, after taking some heat in Shanghai, Musetti risked making things worse by complaining to the umpire while closing in on defeat to Auger-Aliassime.
Musetti argued that fans were making noise during his serve, venting his frustration at the umpire and asking for something to be done.
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 wasn’t buying Lorenzo Musetti’s complaints
The Sky Sports Tennis commentator didn’t think Musetti had much of a case. It looked more like a player struggling with how one-sided the match was getting. Instead of handling it calmly, he turned his attention toward the crowd and umpire.
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Musetti probably won’t look back on this trip through Asia fondly when all is said and done. He’s got work to do if he wants an ATP Finals spot—and maybe it’ll help being away from this particular stretch of the calendar next year.
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