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Photograph: (Twitter)
The recent Davis Cup 2025 clash between Belgium and Chile was marked by an extraordinary and controversial incident featuring star players Cristian Garin and Zizou Bergs. During the critical moment in the third set of the thriller, with the score tied at 5-5, Bergs was seen celebrating a break of serve by dashing towards the bench in the corner. Following his celebration, he was seen colliding with Garin, striking him in the eye with his shoulder.
The impact left Garin with a big and swollen eye, and he called a timeout on the court. Following the collision, Garin refused to continue playing, which led to a series of penalties against him. After the horrendous incident, the Chile team requested that Bergs be qualified for the incident, but umpires have seen disagreement. Instead, Garin received three straight-time violations for not even resuming the game, resulting in a game penalty that was later awarded to Begs.
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Watch the video here:
UNBELIEVABLE scenes in this BEL-CHI tie.
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) February 2, 2025
Bergs breaks at 5-5 in the 3rd but hits Garin while celebrating.
Chileans wanted a default, umpires disagreed, Garin (eye swollen) refuses to keep playing and gets a game penalty to lose the match (and tie) pic.twitter.com/LOLWijm0Ag
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How decision from the umpire sparked outrage among the Chilean players?
This decision from the umpire sparked outrage among the Chilean players and officials, who deemed it an injustice and expressed their dissatisfaction with the situation in the game handled by match officials. Several members of the Chilean team were seen criticizing the neutrality of the medical team present during the game, stating that they had prioritized the game over Grain's swollen eye in the game. Later, Grain himself described feeling dizzy, uncomfortable, and faint following the collision, stating that he had never experienced things like this in his tennis career.
The bizarre turn of events not only led to Belgium's advance in the Davis Cup but also raised significant questions about players' safety and officiating standards in high-stakes encounters. Meanwhile, the Chile side is considering appealing the decision due to what they perceive as a significant oversight in sportsmanship.