“‘I Can’t Believe It’: Cristian Garin Expresses Frustration Following Bizarre Ending to Davis Cup Tie After Collision with Opponent”

Belgium progressed to the second round of Davis Cup qualifying in a rather surreal manner on Monday (AEDT), as Chile’s Cristian Garin found himself upended by his opponent.

Zizou Bergs from Belgium was celebrating a hard-fought game victory in the third set, which placed him in a position to serve for the match, when he rushed towards his bench.

At that exact moment, Garin was attempting to navigate the confined space between the net and the umpire’s chair, resulting in a collision where Bergs inadvertently struck Garin in the eye with his shoulder.

Immediately, Bergs began to apologise, while Garin called for medical assistance.

Garin opted not to continue, leading his team to demand Bergs’ disqualification.

Instead of being disqualified, Garin was issued with three quickfire time violations, resulting in a game penalty that cost him the set and the match while remaining seated on the bench.

Garin took to Instagram following the contentious incident to express his disbelief.

“I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that we were disqualified,” Garin stated in a message translated to English by Wide World of Sports.

In a technical sense, Chile wasn’t actually disqualified; rather, the team was penalised with three consecutive time violations, which led to their defeat.

“… The chief referee compelled me to play despite feeling light-headed and struggling to see clearly after an intense match,” Garin further explained.

“I’ve been a fan of this sport for many years, watching countless matches, and I never imagined I’d experience something like this. It’s deeply disappointing after all the effort and teamwork that went into this week.”

“Thanks to the ITF [International Tennis Federation] for seemingly disregarding my health.”

“Thanks to everyone. It’s a tough moment, but we’ll keep pushing forward.”

US tennis icon Martina Navratilova, an 18-time grand slam singles champion, shared her thoughts on X: “I’m sorry—this should be a default. It’s completely out of control. Plus, the screaming isn’t great either.”

Bergs ultimately defeated Garin 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, securing Belgium’s advancement with a 3-1 overall victory.