Close friends Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev set for Oman escape to Indian Wells despite airspace reopening slightly in Middle East

Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev it seems still plan to make their way to Indian Wells ahead of the tournament starting later this week with an escape plan concocted amid the mad dash to leave the Middle East.

Medvedev and Rublev were both in action in Dubai and looked with a great degree of certainty to likely miss Indian Wells. The former lifted the title and the latter reached the semi-finals. But the issue arose in that while Felix Auger-Aliassime for instance managed to get out of the country before the airspace shut and the bombing started, others weren't so lucky.

The close friends were stuck in Dubai due to the growing conflict in the Middle East with flights from Dubai and the UAE in general only just restarting and those who manage to get out are only doing so based off their preexisting flights so for Medvedev and co, it is a different route as they likely didn't have existing flights around the time of the bombing due to their advancement in the tournament.

ATP players such as Medvedev and Rublev now face the issue of trying to safely leave the city to head to the United States with Indian Wells starting on Wednesday. Both Medvedev and Rublev according to Marca have a plan though. They are set to head to Oman by car.

Oman borders the UAE and is around a 90 minute drive albeit there have been heavy concerns about traffic at the border crossing as people try to get out in a similar way to the Russian duo.

However Oman is one of the countries with the least risk amid the growing conflict and is likely one of the most simplest routes out even amid the reopening of airspace at least partially. They are set to drive there where they will take a private jet to leave the country likely to Turkey or Armenia where they will get a connection to the US.

From there they will begin their campaign albeit as seeded players in the draw, they have time on their sides due to opening round byes. The ATP released a statement earlier today to update on the situation.

“The ATP is closely monitoring the evolving situation in the Middle East and remains in regular contact with our players, their support teams and relevant local authorities.

“The health, safety and wellbeing of our players, staff and tournament personnel is our priority. We can confirm that a small number of players and team members remain in Dubai following the conclusion of the recent ATP 500 event. They and their teams are being accommodated in the tournament’s official hotels, where their immediate needs are being fully supported.

“We are in direct communication with those affected, as well as with tournament organisers and security advisors. At this stage, travel arrangements remain subject to ongoing assessment in line with airline operations and official guidance. We will continue to provide appropriate support to ensure players and their teams can depart safely when conditions allow.

“We will continue to assess developments and provide updates as appropriate.”