Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Tallon Griekspoor and more than 40 other stars are currently stuck in Dubai amid rise in tensions in the Middle East.
Tennis stars stranded in Dubai have reportedly denied ATP’s alternative travel routes suggestion and that has put their participation in the upcoming Indian Wells Open in danger. Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Tallon Griekspoor are among more than 40 ATP players who are currently stuck in Dubai amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
US and Israel struck several locations in Iran on Saturday triggering chaos in the region as the Islamic Republic returned the favour with strikes on American bases in nearby West Asian countries. Dubai too saw blasts and so did other countries in the Gulf leading to airspace in these places getting closed.
Players say no to ATP offers
Medvedev won his 23rd ATP Tour title as he was given a walkover in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships because his opponent Griekspoor injured his hamstring. The final was scheduled for Saturday, the day when the chaos began.
As the conflict began, airspaces in the region had to be shut and the
players have been forced to seek shelter in their hotels.
Amid this situation, ATP held an emergency to devise alternative travel plans for players to come out of Dubai so that they could travel to the Indian Wells Open whose main draw begins upcoming Saturday.
According to a report in Spanish publication MARCA, players were given the option to either take a six-hour drive to Oman or take a 10-hour drive to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. But these options came with the risk of not knowing what could happen in the way and also of facing long queues at borders.
The report claims that the players have rejected both the offers and chosen to stay at their hotels as the crisis continues to unfold. This has put the participation of these players and other staffs in the Indian Wells Open at risk.
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