Just hours after lifting his 23rd career trophy, Daniil Medvedev found himself swapping the baseline for a hotel balcony. The 2026 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships came to a surreal end this weekend with the sudden closure of regional airspace, leaving the champion and his family stranded in the UAE as of late Sunday night along with a large portion of his ATP roster.
“The situation is very unusual, but the only thing that happened was that the airspace was closed,” Medvedev told reporters. porsche tennis Via video from his hotel. The former world number one has shown resilience despite growing geopolitical tensions caused by missile attacks in the region. Medvedev, who was accompanied by his wife Daria and their two daughters, noted that while he was “very emotional in court,” his calmness in real life helped his family cope with the uncertainty.
The Russian star is not alone. Finalist Talon Grikspoor, semi-finalist Andrei Rublev and doubles champions Henry Patten and Harry Heliovara are currently grounded. The same is reportedly true for Karen Khachanov. Indian Wells begins its main draw on Wednesday, and the timing is particularly cruel as several top seeds race against time to reach the California desert.
The draw will be held on Monday in Indian Wells.
Medvedev and Rublev are scheduled to compete in Tuesday night’s Eisenhower Cup mixed doubles exhibition match.
It’s a race against time for all players currently on pause, but safety is paramount.
In response to the crisis, organizers of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships moved quickly to prioritize player welfare. A spokesperson for the tournament confirmed that they have extended the managed accommodation agreement for all players, officials and support staff until at least March 4.
“DDF was kind enough to extend our hotel stay… We were well looked after,” journalist Reem Abulleil reported from the scene. While the ATP reportedly explored overland escape routes to Oman or Riyadh, the current advice from security experts is to remain in a secure area of the tournament’s official hotel. For now, those directly affected must wait for the warning to dissipate and the runway to clear.
The ATP issued a statement on Monday morning and the situation remains unresolved.
