'i Saw A Drone Hit The Us Consulate' - Patten's Escape From Dubai

But location would soon beryllium overmuch amended news. Shortly aft nan ATP offered nan players nan chance to get connected a chartered level from Muscat, officials from Emirates hose arrived successful nan edifice lobby and started to book guests connected progressively disposable flights.

All European destinations had been booked by nan clip they sewage to Patten, who ended up settling for an 8am formation via Cairo nan pursuing morning.

The ATP Tour has been criticised by immoderate players for not instantly cancelling this week's Fujairah Challenger arena successful nan UAE.

"Realistically, I'm not judge what they could person done. No-one really saw that level of escalation coming," Patten said.

"Arnau [Brugues] and Hans-Juergen [Ochs] were nan 2 ATP representatives who were there. Their occupation is to make judge that tennis tournaments tally smoothly, and present they are responsible for 44 group successful an progressive warzone.

"I've told nan 2 guys that successful nan circumstances they did a awesome job.

"But I wasn't peculiarly happy erstwhile nan CEO of nan ATP [Eno Polo] called up and said 'We're going to charter you a plane. We don't person immoderate accusation astir it and you person an hr and a half to decide.'

"That showed a existent deficiency of knowing and empathy, arsenic he was sipping his java connected a Zoom call.

"If nan ATP is going to run tournaments successful Dubai, wherever surely I was alert location was a batch of geopolitical tension, immoderate benignant of situation guidance connected nan crushed would person been good, which we didn't really receive.

"But it's difficult and a really, really analyzable situation."

Tour sources person told BBC Sport that they were focused connected providing players pinch accommodation and support astatine nan charismatic hotel, having been advised nan safest action was to enactment put.

Flights from Dubai International Airport were their preference, arsenic nan travel by car is simply a very short one, and location was uncertainty astir separator crossings.