Chilean tennis player Cristian Garin lost his Davis Cup qualifier in bizarre fashion after refusing to continue following an accidental collision with his opponent.
Belgium’s Zizou Bergs was celebrating winning a game in the third set when he sprinted over towards his bench.
Garin was passing through the narrow space between the net and the umpire’s chair at the same time and the two collided, with Bergs catching the Chilean player in the eye with his shoulder.
The 25-year-old Belgian immediately started apologising and Garin had to receive medical treatment.
Bergs was given a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct but his Chilean opponent refused to continue and called for him to be disqualified.
Instead, Garin, 28, received three consecutive time violations, which led to a game penalty and him losing the set and match without moving from the bench.
Bergs won 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, meaning Belgium advanced to the second round of qualifying.
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The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said in a statement: “This was a rare, unfortunate and very delicate situation and everyone involved, including the independent doctor, conducted due diligence based on rules and procedures.
“We understand the emotions attached to this unusual incident, but the final decision was made after consideration of all the facts and unique circumstances around it.”
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Chile’s Olympic committee said on X that it was “upset and incredulous” with the situation and that it would support the Chilean tennis federation “so that this shameful international incident does not go unpunished”.
Bergs is currently ranked 61 in the world while Garin is ranked 132.
The Davis Cup, which is made up of teams from 150 countries, is the world’s largest annual team sporting competition in tennis.
The final will take place in November.
