Daniil Medvedev Stranded in Dubai Amid Iran War: 'No One Knows'

Former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev is among several tennis stars stranded in Dubai amid the U.S.-Iran War that escalated over the weekend. The Russian revealed on Sunday that “no one knows” when he’d be allowed to fly out of the region after the UAE closed its airspace indefinitely, leaving thousands in limbo.

“The situation is unusual, but basically, the only thing is that the airspace is closed, naturally,” Medvedev told Russian journalist Sofya Tartakova, via tennisuptodate.com.

“So, no one knows when we’ll be able to fly out. It’s not clear whether this will last long or not.

“We’re just waiting ​to see what happens in the coming hours or days. They keep gradually pushing back the airport reopening time,” he added.

Iran War Leaves Players Stranded

Besides Medvedev, Russia’s Andrey Rublev, the Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor, Croatia’s Mate Pavic, Finland’s Harri Heliovaara, Great Britain’s Henry Patten and El Salvador’s Marcelo Arevalo are reportedly among other tennis players stranded in Dubai. Furthermore, several coaches, tennis officials, journalists, and family members of tennis players are waiting for the airspace to open up.

However, World No. 8 Felix Auger-Aliassime, who lost to Medvedev in the Dubai Open semifinals, was fortunate enough to leave on one of the final flights to depart from the UAE on Saturday, according to the Montreal Gazette, before the airspaces were shut.

His agent confirmed that Auger-Aliasssime made it to Indian Wells and was slated to practice on Sunday ahead of the main draw on Wednesday.

The ATP has reportedly offered players alternatives to depart from the UAE, but the players have rejected them due to the risks involved. Per multiple reports, the two options for exiting Dubai are travelling by road to Oman or to Riyadh, then catching a flight to the United States.

Daniil Medvedev Wins Dubai Open

Medvedev, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, captured his 23rd ATP title when he won the Dubai Open Tennis Championship on Saturday. After a rather disappointing 2025, the Russian is off to a terrific 13-3 record in 2026, which includes a finals finish in Brisbane, a fourth-round loss at the Australian Open and the Dubai Open victory.

The World No. 11 said on Sunday that he was extra emotional because he was still on a high after winning the Dubai Open until the escalation of the U.S.-Iran War.

“As strange as that sounds, on ⁠the court, I’m very emotional, but in real life, it might actually ​help me to be more emotional at times – so, for me, everything is normal,” he said. “Naturally, I’ve ​received a lot of messages from friends and family, and everyone is worried, ‌but I can say for my part that everything is fine.”

Medvedev said he did not sleep on Saturday as he and his family were “scared” amid repeated explosions in Dubai.

“It was a wild night, we didn’t sleep much,” he said. “Everything seems more intense at night with the fireballs in the sky and the repeated explosions.

“We spent quite some time in the reception area, and they were really sweet, so eventually, we went to our rooms and slept.”

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