Stranded tennis players in Dubai include Medvedev & Rublev as Middle East strikes ground airports - Indian Wells participation in doubt

Daniil Medvedev was crowned the Dubai Tennis Championships champion on Saturday, but it wasn’t without complications. His final against Tallon Griekspoor was cancelled because the Dutchman withdrew due to injury, with Medvedev handed the title by default. However, it came after overnight developments in the Middle East, with the US and Israel having launched a joint attack on Iran. As a result, Iran’s military conducted retaliatory attacks on some of its Middle Eastern neighbours. They included the United Arab Emirates, with its capital, Abu Dhabi, having been hit hard by the strikes. The chaos spilt over to nearby Dubai, where the tournament was taking place, but the plan was to continue with the final, had Griekspoor been fit enough to compete. The doubles final still went ahead, despite projectiles being seen over Dubai. But Medvedev and his fellow competitors still face problems, as all flights out of Dubai have been cancelled until further notice. As reported by The Athletic, a representative for Medvedev has claimed they are trying to get the now two-time Dubai Tennis Championships winner out of the Middle Eastern state. It comes ahead of the Indian Wells Masters, which is set to get underway in California next week. Andrey Rublev is also believed to be stranded in Dubai, but fellow semi-finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime managed to get out, and has been seen practicing in Indian Wells, ahead of the Masters 1000 event getting underway in the desert on Wednesday. Medvedev and Rublev do have time on their side, as neither is expected to be in action until Friday at the earliest in California.

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