Leading tennis star Lorenzo Musetti has made a lengthy apology after an offensive comment in China went viral.The world No.9 was playing Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the last 32 of the Beijing Open when he muttered to himself about the home crowd.Musetti let his frustrations get the better of him in Beijing with an inappropriate commentGetty “Those f***ing Chinese are always coughing,” he was heard saying when his serve was disrupted.A day on from his win over Mpetshi Perricard, Musetti has addressed the situation on Instagram after a barrage of comments under previous posts.Musetti’s apology in full“Dear Chinese fans, I would like to sincerely apologise for what I said in frustration yesterday during my match,” he wrote to his 750,000 followers.“My words were directed only at a few individuals in the crowd who were coughing repeatedly and disturbing the play. They were never, in any way, meant for the Chinese people. “It happened in a moment of stress and tension in the second tiebreak, but still, this is no excuse at all. “I realise that the way I expressed myself was wrong and inappropriate, and it hurt many Chinese fans’ feelings. I deeply regret it and feel very remorseful.”The Italian continued: “I have always admired the Chinese people and I truly appreciate playing in your country. “I have been coming back to China since 2018 and I always feel very welcome here. I am grateful for the incredible support I constantly receive and for the many fans I have in China.“Once again, I am truly sorry. I respect you deeply, I feel at home here, and I value the warmth and kindness I have always received from you.”Clearly upset with the Lotus Court crowd in Beijing, Musetti lost the second set tie break 7-4.Musetti was heading for a 1-1 scoreline when the coughing distracted himGettyHowever, he added to his first set tie break win with a 6-4 third set win to take the match and reach the last 16.Taylor Townsend also offended Chinese fansShockingly, this wasn’t the first time Chinese fans have been offended by a tennis player this month.American Taylor Townsend also caused uproar on Instagram with a post about the country’s food.“What the hell… turtle and bullfrog is WILD,” she posted online in response to an unverified video.“These people are literally killing frogs, bullfrogs. Aren’t those the ones that give you warts and boils and stuff?”Townsend later expressed her regret, saying: “I wanted to sincerely apologise from the bottom of my heart. Townsend won’t be playing in Beijing after her commentsGetty“There’s no excuse for what I said. I will improve.”The 29-year-old then withdrew from the Beijing Open where she was due to play in doubles with Katerina Siniakova, despite her remorse.A statement from the WTA denied it was due to the Instagram story, reading: “Townsend withdrew from the doubles field before the draw was made due to a change of schedule.”