Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships winner Daniil Medvedev is among the tennis stars stranded following the closure of UAE airspace.
Medvedev won the title via walkover on Saturday after his opponent Tallon Griekspoor withdrew from the final with a left hamstring injury.
Dutchman Griekspoor is also grounded in Dubai along with Russia's semi-finalist Andrey Rublev. That trio, along with the quartet of players from Saturday's doubles final – Harri Heliovaara, Henry Patten, Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic – and their respective coaching teams, remain in the UAE.
The rest of the field are believed to have left the country with the ATP Tour now moving to California for the Masters 1000 tournament at Indian Wells. The stranded players now face an anxious wait to see if they are able to join the line-up in the US.
Medvedev told Bolshe Tennis: “Here, of course, the situation is unusual, but the fact of the matter is that the airspace is closed.
“No one knows when we will be able to take off. It is not clear whether it will last long or not. We are just waiting to see what happens in the next hours and days.
“It might sound strange, I am very emotional on court but it might have helped me to be more emotional in life at times. For me, everything is normal, let's say natural.
“I received a lot of messages from friends and acquaintances. Everyone is worried but I can say on my own behalf that everything is fine.”
On Sunday, UAE airlines extended flight suspensions until Monday afternoon as Tehran's retaliatory attacks on Arab Nations following the US and Israeli strikes on Iran continue to disrupt aviation operations across the Gulf and wider Middle East.
The latest measures follow developments that began on Saturday, when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iranian targets, prompting Tehran to retaliate and forcing several countries in the region to temporarily close their airspace.
The resulting restrictions have sent shock waves through global aviation operations, particularly affecting key transit hubs Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE.
On Saturday and Sunday, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Flydubai, and Air Arabia announced temporary halts to operations at their respective hubs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, citing precautionary safety measures in response to airspace closures.
Emirates confirmed that all flights to and from Dubai were suspended until at least 3pm UAE time on Monday, March 2.
Both Dubai International Airport and Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport were targeted by Iran on Saturday night, with two killed and seven wounded in Abu Dhabi and four injured in Dubai, according to officials.
The Dubai Tennis Championships organisers have helped soften the blow for the affected players by offering extended hotel stays to them and their support teams.
“Following the conclusion of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Saturday 28 February, tournament organisers have extended the hosted accommodation protocols for all ATP officials, players, and support staff by an additional three days,” a spokesperson for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships told the Daily Mail.
Numerous journalists covering the event also got caught out by flight disruptions with tournament organisers offering them extended hotel stays.
Some of the players in the field, including Lebanon's Benjamin Hassan, are set to stay in the UAE for a Challenger Tour event in Fujairah. Despite the continuing Iranian attacks, the event is expected to go ahead this week.
