Bergs defends himself after the clash with Garín: "I made a small mistake, but I think he exaggerated a bit"
The Belgian spoke after the tie and gave his version of what happened, admitting that he made a mistake but defending the referee's decision.
The controversy of the week (and probably of the month) was brought to us by Zizou Bergs, Cristian Garín, and a tie between Belgium and Chile with tension running high. The accidental shove from the Belgian causing eye injuries and dizziness to the Chilean has been the most debated topic in the last few hours, with the official claim from the Chilean Olympic Committee to revoke the final result of the tie, resolved after the sanction on Garín who couldn't continue. We know the Chilean team's version, astonished by the lack of sanctions on the Belgian... but we were missing hearing from one of the involved, a Zizou Bergs who perhaps is still not aware of the commotion and uproar his shove has caused.
Imagine you've just made a breakthrough that could be crucial to advance your country to the next round of the 2025 Davis Cup. The crowd in Hasselt, supporting you massively, turns the arena into a cauldron. Tension rises, euphoria sets in... and you make decisions that you regret immediately. Enough to be disqualified when you are just one game away from closing the tie? To the surprise of the tennis world, which sided with Garín and Chile, yes... but for Bergs, who explains in detail what he experienced in that moment, admits he was in the wrong, and defends the referee's decision, not so much.
"Until the last point played in the match, the atmosphere was spectacular. My hair stood on end thinking that this could be my moment and I could win the match. When you realize you can close the match with your serve, something like this can happen. I hit him, yes. I made a small mistake in a moment of pure emotion. After the passing shot, I jumped in pure euphoria, ran towards the bench and thought I could avoid him. Somehow, he didn't step back. He saw me coming, and we collided", Zizou points out in an interview with Jeu, Set & Podcast, mentioning that the Chilean "exaggerated" his reaction after the clash.
"It's clear that in a way it's my fault, but I also believe that he exaggerated it. And it can be seen as the referee decided in our favor. I don't know if this incident will go down in history. I remember not too long ago something very similar happened in a handball match. I have a feeling that Chilean fans won't have a great opinion of me at this moment", stated the Belgian, who is already looking forward to his country's next tie against Austria in September.
THE BELGIAN TENNIS FEDERATION ALSO DEFENDS THE DECISION TAKEN
The reaction from the Belgian Tennis Federation was not long in coming, countering the Chilean statements yesterday by providing their perspective on what happened. The organization argues that there was "no malicious intent" and that Carlos Ramos "followed the official rules protocol, making a decision in line with it". Despite describing what happened as an "unfortunate incident", the Belgians argue that the action was "unintentional" and that, as such, it was resolved correctly: with a warning.
It doesn't seem like the course of the tie will be different from what we already know: Belgium advances to the second round of the qualification ties, where they will face Austria aiming to secure a spot in the quarterfinals in Bologna. The outcome of the official complaint that the Chilean team will take to higher authorities, requesting to play the fifth match of the tie at a neutral venue after disqualifying Bergs for the clash with their player, is yet to be seen. Will this saga have any new episodes before September?
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Bergs se defiende tras el choque con Garín: "Cometí un pequeño error, pero creo que él exageró un poco"