The ATP Challenger tennis tournament in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, was cancelled on Tuesday due to the conflict in the Middle East. Specifically, drone debris from an intercepted strike ignited a fire at a nearby oil field, according to Turkiye Today. Before that incident, some matches were abandoned when explosions were heard nearby: it was a drone attack on an oil facility 15 km away from the tennis courts. A video showed the players running away and leaving the tennis courts empty.
With the cancellation of the tournaments, players from all over the world needed to leave the country, but with the airspace closed and hundreds of people leaving, it was not easy. It was initially reported that plane tickets rised as much as 5,000 euros for a charter flight ATP was organising, and later rumoured that ATP would only cover half the tickets costs to the players.
However, according to player Ilya Ivashka, ATP will cover all ticket prices for all tennis players stranded in Fujairah, and everyone will be evacuated at no cost. With ticket prices rising to 5,000 dollars to leave Dubai, it will not be cheap, but players are praising ATP's gesture to ensure everyone can leave the country as soon as possible.
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