Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, two of Russia’s top men’s tennis players, were forced to miss a major exhibition event at the Indian Wells Masters in California due to travel disruptions caused by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
The disruption follows an escalation of hostilities following weekend airstrikes by the US and Israel on Iran, which led to the closure of airspace across parts of the Persian Gulf. This caused widespread flight cancellations and severely affected transit routes that international athletes rely on to travel between tournaments.
Both players were scheduled to participate in the Eisenhower Cup, a mixed doubles exhibition held on the eve of the main draw at Indian Wells. Medvedev was paired with fellow Russian Mirra Andreeva, while Rublev was paired with American Amanda Anisimova. The travel disruption prevented either from arriving on time and competing.
Despite missing the exhibition, Medvedev and Rublev are still expected to feature in the main singles draw, with a first-round bye keeping them out until Friday of tournament week.
The Fujairah Challenger has stopped
Rising tensions in the Middle East have begun to cast a shadow over tennis. The Fujairah Challenger in the United Arab Emirates was brought to an abrupt halt on Tuesday after loud explosions and air raid sirens rang out near the venue, prompting officials to call off the game and evacuate the players.
The match between Belarus’ Daniil Ostapenkov and top seed Hayate Matsuoka was halted with Ostapenkov leading 6-3, 4-6, 2-1. The players, head umpire and support staff quickly left the courts at the Fujairah Tennis Club as a precaution. Another match between Japan’s Yuta Shimizu and Britain’s Max Basing was also suspended.
According to the Fujairah Media Office, authorities responded to a fire in the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone caused by falling debris after air defense systems intercepted the drone. No injuries were reported and the fire was quickly extinguished.
Although normal traffic was later restored in the area, the incident disrupted the tournament schedule and raised new concerns about player safety. Officials said the game will resume only after security agencies declare the venue safe.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
04 March 2026 20:20 IST
