It came on the same day as a US and Israeli offensive on Iran, which prompted the Iranian military to respond by targeting American bases throughout the Middle East. The United Arab Emirates and its capital, Abu Dhabi, were hit hardest by the strikes, with the chaos extending to Dubai, where departing flights have been grounded.
And Spanish publication Marca claims that the ATP, which runs the professional men’s tennis tour, held an emergency meeting on Sunday evening to discuss alternative travel options for players trying to reach the United States for Indian Wells.
The Spanish publication said: “Two of these options are by road: a six-hour drive to Oman, which has closed its airport, or a 10-hour drive to Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), with the risk of what might happen on such long journeys, plus long queues at both borders”.
They add: “After weighing the pros and cons, the tennis players have decided not to move from their current residence for now and are very clear that their chances of competing in Indian Wells are becoming increasingly slim”.
One such player stuck in Dubai is world No.11 Danill Medvedev. The Russian won the Dubai title by default after his opponent, Tallon Griekspoor, withdrew through injury.
In a video shared on social media, he said: “Here, of course, the situation is unusual, but the only thing that happens is the airspace is closed, of course. That is, no one knows when we will be able to take off. It is not clear whether it will last long or not. Therefore, we are just waiting, let’s say, what will happen next in the next hours, days.
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“They are gradually postponing the closure of the airport. As strange as it may sound, I’m very emotional on the court.
“In life probably, it would help me to be a bit more emotional at some moments, so for me, everything is kind of normal and let’s say, natural.
“I received a lot of messages from friends, acquaintances and everyone is worried, but in principle, I can say on my own behalf that everything is fine.”