Daniil Medvedev Narrates How He Left Dubai Amidst Middle East War

Daniil Medvedev is chasing his third title of the season at the Indian Wells Masters following his wins in Brisbane and Dubai.

Daniil Medvedev Narrates How He Left Dubai Amidst Middle East War

Daniil Medvedev (Image via X/Tiempo De Tenis)

In Short
  • Daniil Medvedev successfully navigated travel challenges to leave Dubai amid escalating Middle East tensions.
  • He defeated Alejandro Tabilo in his opening match at Indian Wells, continuing his pursuit of a third title this season.
  • Medvedev expressed the difficulties of adjusting to Indian Wells' conditions after the time difference and travel stress from Dubai.

Daniil Medvedev has started his Indian Wells campaign. In his opening round, the 11th seed knocked out Alejandro Tabilo to schedule his career’s second match against Sebastian Baez.

Prior to the first Major of the season, Medvedev clinched the Dubai Tennis Championships for the second time in his career after receiving a walkover from Tallon Griekspoor. The final was scheduled to be held on Saturday (February 28). On the same day, the USA and Israel launched their attack on Iran to stop the Gulf country from developing nuclear weapons.

Iran’s retaliation has caused havoc across the Middle East and the Gulf region, leading to airspace closures, leaving many tennis players stranded there. Medvedev, who said leaving Dubai for Los Angeles felt like a Hollywood movie, narrated what his journey was like in the midst of the war at the press conference following his opening-round win.

At one point, we were exchanging a lot of messages with Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov, definitely. Andrey and I decided to go to Oman to try and find something there. It wasn’t easy to find anything because everyone was trying to leave, and there weren’t many flights available. But we managed to find a plane. Karen joined us, and the next day we managed to fly to Istanbul and then from Istanbul to Los Angeles.

Medvedev is chasing his third title of the season. Prior to clinching the Dubai ATP 500 title, he lifted his career’s first Brisbane International trophy by defeating Brandon Nakashima.

It was longer and a bit more stressful than usual in terms of logistics. I spent a lot of time on the phone, which is very tiring. Like I said, I arrived here a bit more physically tired than usual, but I managed to cope.

Daniil Medvedev added

Because of the travel delay, Medvedev and Rublev were forced to skip an exhibition held on the eve of the Masters 1000 event in the California desert. Although Medvedev was successful in claiming a win, Rublev and Khachanov failed to clinch their respective Indian Wells opener after escaping the ordeal. Rublev could not battle past Gabriel Diallo, while Khachanov lost to Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca.

Daniil Medvedev explains why he finds Indian Wells a strange place

Daniil Medvedev struggled to play at Indian Wells at first and had never made it past the fourth round before the 2023 season. In 2023, he reached the final only to lose to Carlos Alcaraz. It was the seven-time Grand Slam champion again who denied him the win when the Russian ace reached the final the following season.

Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev (Image via X/Daniil Medvedev)

Yes, Indian Wells is a strange place for me, because especially in the first few days, the jet lag couldn’t be worse from Dubai, and I always play in Dubai. So whenever you come here, there’s a 12-hour time difference, and the court is completely different from Dubai. Even the balls feel different, even though, for example, this year they’re the same, but because of the court. The first two or three days, I usually think there’s no chance I’ll win the first round. Actually, this year was a bit different. Then I managed to play well.

Daniil Medvedev said at the press conference

Last year, he made two semifinals in Masters 1000 events, one of which was at Indian Wells. Eventual runner-up Holger Rune defeated him in straight sets.

The 2021 US Open champion has so far lifted six Masters 1000s, the last of which he won at the 2023 Italian Open. Medvedev has one Sunshine Doubles title to his name. Back in 2023, he beat World No.2 Jannik Sinner in the Miami Open final.

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