With 50% of the top ten doubles players being Brits, it certainly is a success story! We often whinge about how we underperform at singles (do we?). The media and the British tennis hierachy and cognoscenti, ourselves included, debate why this is the case. But we clearly over achieve at doubles. Why is this?
Getting from Dubai to California is not going to be easy. I think there are still flights from Riyadh, but that is a 1000km road trip. There might not be another option.
You'd think that with the number of top players involved they could organise a private jet from the nearest open airport to get themselves out of the affected area. This may well be Riyadh - or Muscat
Presumably IW organisers/ATP can be flexible with the schedule around the players involved, given its extended duration, there must be some scope to give them a later start?
Medvedev among tennis stars stuck
Dubai Tennis Championships winner Daniil Medvedev is among the tennis players facing a disruption to their schedule.
The Russian's representative said they were trying to establish how Medvedev could travel to California for next week's Indian Wells tournament after the UAE "partially and temporarily" closed its airspace.
Finland's Harri Heliovaara, winner of the men's doubles event alongside Britain's Henry Patten, said his travel plans are "still uncertain".
"All of us players, the finalists and a few other doubles players, are stuck in Dubai. [Plus] all of the ATP staff, the umpires, physiotherapists, coaches and other team and family members - a total of about 30 people," Heliovaara wrote in his blog, external.
He added that the option of leaving by road had been explored, but that would involve either a five-hour drive to Muscat - although bad traffic jams have been reported at the Oman border - or a journey exceeding 10 hours to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The ATP said it remains in direct contact with those affected, with "a small number of players and team members" still in Dubai being accommodated in official tournament hotels "where their immediate needs are being fully supported".
The ATP Challenger Tour event in Fujairah, UAE is going ahead as planned this week, but operating with heightened security measures and taking place behind closed doors as a precautionary step.
According to Harri's blog yesterday there are a lot pf people trying to get to Oman causing congestion. Also you are not allowed to drive in Oman using UAE plates, so would have to switch vehicle. It's a 10 hour journey to Riyadh and the road in Saudi is really bad. So for now they wait.
The singles second round is on Friday-Saturday and men's doubles doesn't start until Sunday.