Former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev and two other Russian players made it out of Dubai and will play in the BNP Paribas Open in California after travel plans were thrown into chaos amid the United States’ and Israel’s attacks on Iran, according to multiple reports Wednesday.
Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov traveled with Medvedev and made it out of the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, with reports indicating that Rublev’s mother said the trio drove to Oman and flew to Istanbul.
On Wednesday night, TV station KESQ in Palm Springs, Calif., (near Indian Wells, site of the BNP Paribas Open), posted photos of Medvedev and Rublev practicing on the tennis court and reported that the pair, along with Khachanov, would address the media later Wednesday.
Medvedev, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Saturday after a walkover against injured Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor.
The ATP confirmed on Wednesday that some of its players made it out of the area, where the airspace had been shut down due to tensions in the Middle East following Saturday’s airstrikes on Iran. Dubai was among several neighboring regions hit by retaliatory Iranian strikes.
“The vast majority of players who were in Dubai have successfully departed today on selected flights,” the ATP said in a statement Wednesday. “The safety and wellbeing of our players, support teams and staff members remains our highest priority, and we continue to remain in close contact with those affected.”
Several other ATP players were reportedly stranded in Dubai after the weekend attacks. One was Griekspoor, who pulled out of the final in Dubai due to a left hamstring injury. Griekspoor eventually was able to fly to Milan, the De Telegraaf newspaper reported Wednesday.
Doubles finalists Harri Heliovaara (Finland), Henry Patten (Great Britain), Mate Pavic (Croatia) and Marcelo Arevalo (El Salvador) had also reportedly been stranded in Dubai.
Heliovaara wrote in a blog post Wednesday that he and doubles partner Patten, after an unsuccessful attempt to reach Oman to catch a flight to Helsinki, were finally safely on board a flight out of the region.
“We got on a flight to Milan, and as I write this, we are in Italian airspace. We will probably reach Finland on Wednesday evening,” Heliovaara wrote in Finnish on his personal blog.
The status and location of Pavic and Arevalo, the defending Indian Wells doubles champions, are unclear.
Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime left on one of the final flights to leave Dubai on Saturday, according to the Montreal Gazette. His agent, Olivier van Lindonk, told the newspaper Auger-Aliassime made it to Indian Wells.
Main-draw play at Indian Wells began Wednesday, but all three Russian players have first-round byes due to seeding. Medvedev is the No. 11 seed, Khachanov is No. 16 and Rublev is No. 17.
Medvedev and Rublev were forced to withdraw from Tuesday night’s Eisenhower Cup mixed doubles exhibition at Indian Wells.
Medvedev was slated to team with Russian WTA star Mirra Andreeva and was replaced by Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan. Learner Tien filled in for Rublev alongside fellow American Amanda Anisimova.
–Field Level Media
