Tennis stars flown to US exhibition event after being stranded in Middle East | The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentIndependentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload ourSocial PartnerWe are 8 logo (opens in a new tab)AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleRory DollardWednesday 04 March 2026 16:35 GMTDaniil Medvedev is among the tennis players who have managed to leave Dubai (Jordan Pettitt/PA)Russian tennis players Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev were among those affected by the Middle East travel disruptions, causing them to miss an exhibition event at Indian Wells.The disruptions stemmed from airspace closures and widespread flight cancellations across the Gulf, following US and Israeli air strikes on Iran.Many players and personnel were stranded in Dubai and the UAE, with an ATP Challenger event in the region also being abruptly cancelled due to a security alert.Initially, the ATP Tour offered players a charter flight at a significant personal cost, prompting the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) to offer to cover half the expense.The ATP Tour subsequently arranged a fully funded charter flight to ensure all affected players could depart the region without cost, as confirmed by Belarusian player Ilya Ivashka.In fullATP cancels tournament and flies players to Indian Wells amid Iran disruptionThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in