“It was two days of travelling”: Daniil Medvedev reveals exhausting escape from Dubai before Indian Wells

Daniil Medvedev begins his Indian Wells campaign carrying both confidence and fatigue after a turbulent week that followed his title run in Dubai. The Russian lifted the ATP 500 trophy after Tallon Griekspoor withdrew shortly before the final, but celebrations were quickly replaced by logistical uncertainty as regional tensions disrupted flights across parts of the Middle East.

The former world No. 1 eventually found a route to California after nearly two days of travel involving long drives, border crossings and connecting flights. The unusual journey came only days before the start of the BNP Paribas Open, the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the American spring hard-court swing.

Medvedev will open his tournament against the winner of the first-round match between Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo and Spanish wild card Rafael Jodar. Despite the circumstances, the 2021 US Open champion insisted that much of the drama surrounding the trip had been exaggerated online.

Speaking ahead of the tournament, Medvedev acknowledged the physical toll of the journey but emphasised that the priority was simply finding a way out of Dubai and reaching the United States in time to compete.

Medvedev explained that travel plans changed repeatedly as players monitored flight routes and airport operations across the region. Much of the information came from online tracking tools as they searched for available departures.

“The trip was long and a bit complicated in terms of logistics. It was difficult to find a way out of the situation — basically to figure out how to fly to New York," he said to Boshe. "But we found a solution and now we’re here. Right now I’m very tired. In total it was probably about two days of travelling — driving, flying and everything else.”

One option eventually led the group out of the United Arab Emirates by car toward neighbouring Oman, where flights were still operating. The journey took several hours and included an unexpected delay at the border crossing.

“We drove to Oman by car. For us it was maybe around seven hours. Our driver couldn’t find his passport, so we crossed the border and then had to turn around and go back to the Emirates. He found the passport in the parking lot and then we returned again to Oman.”

After spending the night in Oman, Medvedev continued the trip with flights to Istanbul and then onward to Los Angeles, the closest major airport to Indian Wells.

The journey was shared with fellow Russians Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev, who had also been competing in Dubai before the travel disruption. Although the players initially travelled separately toward Oman, they eventually regrouped and completed the remaining flights together.

Medvedev said the presence of friends helped lighten the mood during what would otherwise have been a physically demanding journey. Long travel schedules are common on the professional circuit, but the circumstances made this particular route unusual.

“When we travelled to Oman we all went separately, but once we arrived there we were together. We then flew together to Istanbul and from Istanbul also together to Los Angeles.”

The players passed time on the flights playing cards and talking, something Medvedev suggested made the situation easier to handle. “On the plane we played cards and things like that. It’s definitely easier to go through something like this with friends than alone. Logistically it’s still difficult — it’s physically exhausting because flying is never easy.”

With the tournament schedule placing his opening match later in the week, Medvedev believes he has enough time to recover before stepping on court. Indian Wells traditionally allows seeded players several days to adjust before their first match.

He acknowledged that the first match may still present challenges after such a long journey but expressed confidence in his ability to adapt physically. “Today is Wednesday and we play on Saturday. Saturday might still be difficult. But if I pass the first round, then the next match would be on Monday. By then a lot of time will have passed and you should be ready at 100 percent.”

The Russian also pointed out that difficult travel schedules are not uncommon in tennis, particularly earlier in a player's career when events on the Challenger and Futures circuits often require last-minute travel between tournaments.

“There are moments when it’s Friday evening somewhere, and if you get into a draw during the night you might have to fly on Saturday morning and play the same day. In fact that’s even harder than what we’re doing now. So situations like this have happened before. And physically I trust myself.”

If Medvedev progresses through the early rounds at Indian Wells, he will look to build on the momentum from his Dubai title while leaving behind one of the most unusual travel experiences of his recent career.