Medvedev's saga from Dubai to Indian Wells 'like a Hollywood movie'

Russian top 20 tennis players Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov are all officially on site at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden and will play in the BNP Paribas Open.

As recently as 48 hours ago, that seemed unlikely. The trio were part of a small group of pro tennis players who were in Dubai for a tournament last week, but then couldn't fly out due to travel restrictions and the danger involved due to the well-documented unrest in the area.

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Since arriving in the United States, Medvedev has begun to share the logistical nightmare and taxing journey required to make a safe exodus from Dubai to the U.S. that included a seven-hour drive, multiple flights and even a lost passport for good measure.

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The 27-year-old Russian, seeded 11th at the BNP Paribas Open, recounted the saga to Bolshe Tennis which is a Russian tennis media outlet and YouTube Channel.

"We arrived in Oman by car. Someone was lucky to get there in 4 hours and 30 minutes, someone drove for nine hours, we drove for seven hours. Our driver couldn't find his passport. We were the only ones who crossed the border, turned around and came back to the UAE. He found his passport in the parking lot and we drove to Oman. Stayed there for a night, the next day we flew to Istanbul, spent the night in a hotel and flew to Los Angeles.

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"If you tell (the path) in all the details, then of course, it's unusual. You feel like you're in a Hollywood movie: crossing the border with other people, visiting Oman for the first time. We arrived in Oman (with Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev) separately, and flew to Istanbul and Los Angeles together."

To go with the seven-hour drive Medvedev mentioned, a flight from Oman to Istanbul is about six hours, and a flight from Istanbul to Los Angeles is about 14 hours.

Medvedev, Rublev and Khachanov arrived in Indian Wells on Wednesday. Medvedev and Rublev both participated in public practice sessions on the grounds at 6 p.m. on Wednesday night.

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Khachanov seeded 16th and Rublev seeded 17th will play their first matches on Friday. Khachanov against Joao Fonseca of Brazil, and Rublev against Gabriel Diallo of Canada. Medvedev begins play Saturday against either Alejandro Tabilo of Chile or Rafael Jodar of Spain.

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