The Chilean Tennis Federation (FTC, for its Spanish initials) filed a complaint against the International Tennis Federation (ITF), demanding that the fourth match of their Davis Cup series against Belgium be replayed. 

The series ended in controversy on Sunday, when Chilean player Cristian Garín (132 ATP singles ranked) refused to continue playing after being hit by his rival Belgian Zizou Bergs (61) during a sides switch. The Chilean player refused to return to the court, resulting in Chile’s defeat and the subsequent elimination of the team as the series ended 3-1 in favor of Belgium.

With Belgium up 2-1 in the tournament’s Qualifiers first round matchup, Garín and Bergs disputed the third set of their clash in Hasselt, Belgium. After breaking the Chilean’s serve to go up 6-5 and potentially serve to wrap the series, the Belgian celebrated running towards the chairs. When he reached the net, he bumped into Garín, who collapsed into the ground.

Garín grabbed his face, claiming that Bergs, who immediately apologized, had hit him with his shoulder. He insisted that his eye was hurt and that he was feeling dizzy. Chilean captain Nicolás Massú requested that the Belgian be disqualified. However, umpire Carlos Ramos ruled that the match continue after the tournament’s independent doctor determined that Garín was fit to continue. His refusal spelled defeat for Chile.

According to the FTC, the incident was a “flagrant violation of fair play” that “significantly altered the result of the series.” They went on to complain that the ITF doctor didn’t extensively examine Garín.

They also shared a report by team doctor Alejandro Orizola stating that Garín received a “strong blow to the ocular globe” which caused “swelling, difficulty to see, nausea, and headaches” and therefore could not continue playing.

“Instead of disqualifying Mr. Bergs, as required by ITF rules in cases of on-court aggression or reckless conduct, the umpire disqualified Mr. Garin, unfairly awarding the victory to Belgium,” the statement added.

The FTC is now requesting that the match win be awarded to Garín and that the fifth game of the series be scheduled for an upcoming date, with equal conditions for both teams. They’re also demanding compensatory measures for Chile, such as a wild card entry for the 2026 Davis Cup Finals.

International repercussions

The incident sparked outrage across Chilean and South American tennis.

Garín called out umpire Ramos in a heated exchange in the court, accusing him of “not having the guts” to throw out Bergs and instead tossing him. 

“So a player is injured and cannot continue playing and we do nothing about it,” he wrote on his Instagram. “What a beautiful world and lovely mentality.”

Bergs also commented on the incident after the match, saying that it felt “really bad” to have things end the way they did. He went on to explain that the clash was unintentional.

Former top ten star Nick Kyrgios from Australia tweeted about the incident, laughing that the Davis Cup account had to edit the match report to acknowledge the incident.

Andrés Schneiter, who coached Garín in the past, took to X to express his thoughts. “Whenever there is a problem between a South American team and a European team, it seems that the Europeans always have the power to be right over the South Americans. In the end, the cheaters are always them,” he wrote. 

The Chilean Olympic Committee also took to the site, commenting their “anger and incredulity” with the events. They added that they hoped this “regrettable international embarrassment” would not go unpunished.