ATP forces players to pay for their own flights to leave the Middle East

An incredibly surprising move by the organization leading the world's premier tennis tournament series.

A tournament in the ATP Challenger Tour system in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was forced to cancel after less than two days of competition due to conflict in the Middle East. Specifically, the Fujairah Challenger 2026 - the first time this event was held - ended early after explosions occurred near the venue on March 3rd, Vietnam time.

According to initial information, Iran targeted an oil storage facility in the Fujairah Industrial Oil Zone, about 10 km from the tournament site. A major fire broke out when a jet intercepted a drone attack, causing debris to hit a fuel tank in the refinery area. Although the fire was quickly controlled and no casualties were reported, the incident caused chaos at the tournament.

Many matches were urgently suspended. Ukrainian player Vladyslav Orlov shared on social media that he heard jet sounds during his match and was informed of shelling about 10 km away.

The match between Hayato Matsuoka and Daniil Ostapenkov was also abruptly interrupted. Both players, along with the umpire and officials, had to leave the court and seek shelter during the deciding set.

Given the complex developments, ATP issued a statement emphasizing: "The health, safety, and welfare of the players, staff, and organizers is the top priority."After consulting with local authorities and security advisors, the remainder of both the Fujairah Challenger 1 and Fujairah Challenger 2 events was canceled.

However, each player will have to pay 5,000 euros out of pocket to depart the UAE without any financial assistance from ATP. According to Portuguese press, ATP proposed arranging a flight from Muscat (Oman) to Milan (Italy), transiting through Egypt.

This is a very high amount for players at the Challenger Tour level - all of whom are outside the top 100 and do not earn as much prize money or sponsorship deals compared to their counterparts on the ATP Tour.