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Daniil Medvedev and other tennis players are stranded in Dubai after the ATP 500 tournament due to Iranian missile attacks.
Daniil Medvedev (X)
Several tennis players are currently stranded in Dubai following last week’s men’s tournament due to the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict, the ATP announced on Monday.
Daniil Medvedev, who clinched the singles title on Saturday, is among the players unable to depart the city owing to Iranian missile and drone attacks.
“The health, safety and well-being of our players, staff and tournament personnel is our priority,” the ATP stated on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“We can confirm that a small number of players and team members remain in Dubai… They are being accommodated in the official tournament hotels.
“We are in direct communication with those affected.”
Finnish player Harri Heliovaara, who secured the doubles title alongside British player Henry Patten, mentioned on his blog on Sunday that “much of the airspace in the surrounding areas is closed” due to the Iranian strikes.
The Finn estimated that roughly 30 people in total were staying in a hotel near the airport.
“We’re just calmly waiting for things to improve,” he noted.
“Of course, we want to leave as soon as possible, but sometimes the best thing is just to wait. Things will get better from here.”
Players received some hope when Dubai Airports announced “limited” flights would resume on Monday evening.
Emirates and flydubai both confirmed they would restart some flights on Monday evening.
Etihad Airways, which flies out of Abu Dhabi, announced it would resume operations on Tuesday.
Amid American and Israeli strikes since Saturday, Iran has retaliated by launching drones and missiles towards several countries, including the United Arab Emirates.
Despite the frequent explosions in Dubai, the doubles final proceeded on Saturday, and the singles trophy ceremony was held.
The Dubai ATP 500 tournament was the final event before the men’s and women’s tours move to California for the Indian Wells Masters and WTA 1000 on Wednesday.
Upcoming Challenger and International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournaments, at the second and third tiers of the professional circuit, are still planned to be held in Fujairah, in the northeast of the Emirates, in the coming days.
AFP reached out to the ATP and ITF on Monday to inquire about the status of these tournaments, but neither organization responded immediately.
(With Agency Inputs)
March 02, 2026, 21:16 IST
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