The Chilean Tennis Federation (FETECH) filed an appeal to the International Tennis Federation on Wednesday arguing their case to be reinstated in the Davis Cup Finals.
The South American country has prepared a formal document in coordination with lawyers from both the tennis association and the national Olympic association regarding an incident that took place in their tie with Belgium earlier this year. During a match, Cristian Garin was knocked to the floor during a change of ends after Zizou Bergs unintentionally bumped into him. Bergs apologized for the collision and received a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct but avoided being defaulted, which would have leveled the tie at 2-2.
At the time, Garin said he was in no condition to play due to the impact of Bergs going into him. He was issued with a trio of time penalties for refusing to play which resulted in a game penalty, handing Bergs a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, win.
In a statement, FETCH has highlighted two crucial points of their claim. The first is that they perceive the decision made by umpire Carlos Ramos as ‘irrational, arbitrary and contrary to natural justice.‘ On the same day as the incident, Ramos held a press conference explaining his decision.
“I consider it an unfortunate accident, I did not see any intention for that aggression to occur, and nothing happened during the match that led me to think it was intentional,” said Ramos.
The second point of their argument concerns claims of medical negligence and lack of protocols being followed. FETECH alleges that the ITF-appointed doctor didn’t conduct a proper medical assessment and didn’t follow correct standards when dealing with concussion.
Besides hoping to regain entry into the Davis Cup finals or a rematch with Belgium, Chile is also seeking a penalty of some sort for Bergs. Furthermore, they are seeking compensation for both the federation and Jarry concerning ‘sporting, financial and reputational damages.’
“It’s truly unintentional,” Bergs said at the time of the incident.
“Out of excitement at the break, I jumped in the air and I wanted to go fast to the bench, but I made a completely wrong decision to not wait for the opponent to pass.
“When I saw that he didn’t wait, I wanted to go to the side, but eventually I still hit him with my shoulder. Once again, it’s truly unintentional. I was checking on him, I said sorry to him, to the coach, to the team. It’s obviously not what you want, to hurt an opponent, and then it’s up to the umpires to decide what the decision is going to be.
“It feels really bad to end this way. When the match was done, I said to Massu (Chile’s team captain) my apologies, because we respect him.”
The ITF is believed to have delayed the Davis Cup Finals draw until March due to the appeal. They are yet to comment and it is not known when a decision will be made.
