Daniil Medvedev wins Dubai title after injured Tallon Griekspoor pulls out of final

Daniil Medvedev took home the title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships under unusual circumstances, after an injured Tallon Griekspoor pulled out of Saturday's final just hours before the United Arab Emirates closed its airspace amid rising international tensions.

Medvedev, the No. 3 seed and a former champion in Dubai, shared a message on social media after receiving the walkover, which gave him his second ATP title of the year.

“Not how I want to win a final,” he wrote. “Hoping the injury for (Tallon) is not too bad and wishing him a speedy recovery.”

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Griekspoor suffered a left hamstring injury during Friday’s semifinal against Andrey Rublev. He fought through the pain to clinch the victory 7-5, 7-6 (6), but was visibly uncomfortable afterward and appeared doubtful he would be able to take the court the next day.

“I went to the hospital this morning and had a couple of scans, which showed something serious,” Griekspoor explained during the trophy ceremony. “It kept me from coming on court tonight and will keep me from the court in the coming weeks.”

For Medvedev, it marked the first time in his career that he has repeated a title in the same city. The Russian had previously built an unusual résumé, winning 22 career titles at 22 different tournaments—including an ATP 250 at Brisbane earlier this year.

“That’s what’s crazy!” Medvedev said. “I never did it in any city in the world, and the first time I do it, it's with a walkover...

“We knew before the start of the week, the way I was practicing, I couldn't miss a ball. We knew it was going to be a great week. It was a great week and I'm looking forward to the next tournaments to come."

The victory came against a surreal backdrop. There were major questions about whether the singles and doubles finals would be played at all, with championship Saturday coinciding with the outbreak of regional conflict after the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes on nearby Iran. Iran retaliated with attacks on neighboring countries, including the United Arab Emirates, where a missile reportedly struck the Palm Jumeirah Fairmont Hotel in Dubai, located roughly 30 minutes from the player hotel and tournament venue.

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Flight cancellations followed throughout the day, and eventually all departures from Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest international airport, were suspended as a precaution.

The Dubai tournament venue sits less than five minutes away from the airport—a proximity that would likely help players and staff to exit the country before air travel ground to halt, or to leave them in a good spot once it resumes.

Earlier on Saturday, the men’s doubles final went ahead as scheduled, with No. 3 seeds Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten defeating No. 2 seeds Mate Pavic and Marcelo Arevalo 7-5, 7-5 on Center Court.

Medvedev is next scheduled to compete at the BNP Paribas Open, which runs from March 1 to 15. Griekspoor is expected to miss both Indian Wells and Miami due to injury.