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Davis Cup: Trouble over bizarre scene

In the Davis Cup tie against Chile, a Belgian runs over his opponent during a celebratory run. The opponent refuses to come back – and loses.

Actually, tennis is not a contact sport, and yet a collision on the field causes a lot of trouble. In the Davis Cup tie against Chile, the Belgian Zizou Bergs ran into Cristian Garín on his way to the bench after a break, causing a controversy.

Garín refused to continue after the incident at the net with the score at 6-3, 4-6, 6-5 in favor of Bergs, but an independent doctor decided that he was fit enough to continue. However, because Garín did not return, the referee applied the penalty code: Bergs was awarded the game 7-5, the game was decided, Belgium prevailed 3-1.

Serious allegations after bizarre scene

The Chilean association subsequently made serious allegations. Garín was “attacked and disqualified in an unacceptable manner by Zizou Bergs,” and the neutral doctor “did not treat him appropriately.” In a statement released Sunday evening, the federation also announced that it would take “all relevant steps with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to seek justice and defend the interests of our players and Chilean tennis.”

“It was really unintentional,” said Bergs about his lapse. “I wanted to get to the bench quickly, but I made a completely wrong decision not to wait for the opponent.” It feels “really bad” that the match ended this way: “Of course you don’t want to hurt an opponent.” He therefore also apologized to Garín and Chile captain Nicolas Massu.

“It’s terrible for me, terrible for the country. Garín was hit in the eye and couldn’t continue, and now we’re out,” said Massu. A spokesperson for the ITF defended the decision to continue the match: ‘We understand the emotions associated with this unusual incident, but the final decision was made after considering all the facts and the unique circumstances.’

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