Daniil Medvedev was officially crowned champion of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Saturday after his final opponent, Tallon Griekspoor, withdrew due to injury. The withdrawal meant Medvedev claimed the title without taking the court for the final. The tournament concluded amid external tensions that affected events and travel plans across the area.

Renewed unrest has emerged in the Middle East amid rising regional tensions involving Israel and Iran. The unrest reached areas near Dubai, where the tournament was being held. Despite visible activity in the sky, organizers confirmed they were prepared to proceed with the singles final had Medvedev’s opponent been fit to compete. The doubles final was held as scheduled. Shortly afterward, flight operations out of Dubai were suspended indefinitely, prompting an update from Medvedev.

In a post shared by veteran journalist and Tennis commentator, Jose Morgado, Daniil Medvedev said, “It’s an unusual situation, of course, but the only thing is that the airspace is closed, no one knows when we will be able to fly out, it is not clear whether it will be for a long time or not. Therefore, we are just waiting, let’s say, for the next few hours and days, that is, they are gradually postponing the closure of the airport.”

“No matter how strange it sounds, I am very emotional on the court, and in life, perhaps, it would have helped me to be more emotional at some points, so everything is fine for me. And, of course, I received a lot of messages from friends and acquaintances, and everyone is worried, but in principle, I can say for myself that everything is fine,” said the two-time champion of the Dubai Tennis Championships, who made it clear that he’s okay and grateful for the support he’s received.

According to The Athletic, Medvedev’s team is now working on getting him out of the Middle East. The timing couldn’t be more complicated, with the Indian Wells Masters set to begin in California next week. For now, like many others in Dubai, he’s stuck waiting for airspace to reopen and flights to resume.

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There is at least a bit of relief for Daniil Medvedev when it comes to competition. He has a bye into the second round at Indian Wells, meaning he isn’t scheduled to play until Friday or Saturday. Still, the unexpected travel disruption could interfere with the preparation he had planned for the Masters 1000 event.

On the court, Medvedev captured his 23rd ATP singles title after Tallon Griekspoor withdrew from the final due to a hamstring injury sustained in his semifinal win over Andrey Rublev. Despite the events taking place off the court, the doubles final was completed, with Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten defeating Mate Pavic and Marcelo Arevalo. But you see, Medvedev isn’t the only one who’s currently stuck.

Safety confirmed as Daniil Medvedev and others left waiting as airspace closes

Holger Rune faced a setback earlier this season with a serious Achilles injury during the 2025 Stockholm Open semifinal. Hoping to speed up recovery, the 22-year-old went to Doha for rehab at the renowned Aspetar clinic. However, as tensions rose in the region, Rune posted a brief but reassuring update on X. ‘Doha today. We are all safe,” he wrote.

His mother, Aneke Rune, later opened up about what they had experienced. Speaking to Danish outlet BT, she described the alarming scenes unfolding around them. “It’s a bit wild. There have been four missile attacks over us today. They have all been intercepted. Most of it sounds like b-mbs or thunder… We could see the white stripes in the sky and the subsequent detonation, which turned into a cloud on the otherwise beautiful blue sky,” she said.

Despite the frightening visuals and sounds, she explained that they feel reasonably safe for now. The family is scheduled to fly to Los Angeles tomorrow, though there’s still uncertainty about whether flights will actually depart from Doha.

“We feel reasonably safe. We have a flight tomorrow to Los Angeles, but I don’t know if any planes are leaving Doha anytime soon. We are packing as planned, and we’ll see. We just have to go out on the balcony to get the latest news,” she added.

And much like Holger Rune, Alexander Bublik also spoke about his own tense experience after exiting the Dubai Tennis Championships in the Round of 16, where he lost to Tallon Griekspoor.

In comments shared through a post on r/tennis, Bublik described just how uneasy the situation felt. “We were flying out of Dubai, thinking, ‘God willing, we’ll have a peaceful flight.’ We had just left Iranian airspace when I opened the news, and saw this.”

Meanwhile, British player Finn Bass also faced disruptions. Competing on the ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Tour, Bass found his travel plans to Dubai thrown into chaos.

His flight was delayed for more than three hours before eventually being canceled. Sharing a photo from inside the aircraft on Instagram, he wrote, “Flight cancelled, been stuck on plane for 3.5 hours.”

With several athletes now stranded or facing uncertainty, many are hoping that the rising tension won’t directly impact the players. For now, travel plans remain unclear, and the situation continues to unfold.