Karen Khachanov Dubai update: World No 16’s plans unconfirmed as Indian Wells looms

Oli Dickson Jefford 03 Mar 2026 3:45 PM

Karen Khachanov fistpumps during a match.

Main draw action in Indian Wells is just days away, though uncertainty still looms over whether a handful of players will be able to make it to California on time.

Amid the emergence of conflict in the Middle East, several ATP Tour players and staff members have been stuck in Dubai since Saturday, with Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev among them.

World No 16 Karen Khachanov is also thought to still be in Dubai, but there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to what his current plans are — and whether he will be able to compete in Indian Wells.

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What we know

Khachanov was one of several players in action at the Dubai Tennis Championships last week, with the world No 16 falling in the second round of the ATP 500 event to Jenson Brooksby.

Though his campaign came to an end, the Russian did not immediately leave Dubai to head to Indian Wells, where the opening Masters 1000 event of the season will be held this week.

Khachanov is a resident of Dubai alongside his wife and young family, and was still in the city when the conflict began on Saturday.

ATP Tour players and staff connected to the Dubai Tennis Championships were unable to leave the city, with flights to and from the city’s airport stopped — and, as of Tuesday, they have only partially resumed.

Khachanov’s compatriots, Dubai champion Medvedev and semi-finalist Rublev, were reportedly set to leave Dubai via car on Monday, driving to Oman before a private jet flight to Turkey or Armenia, and then a further flight to California.

Medvedev and Rublev have now been forced out of the Eisenhower Cup, a mixed doubles exhibition event being held in Indian Wells on Tuesday night.

Where is Khachanov?

Khachanov’s location is not fully known, though it would appear that the 29-year-old has not been unable to make it to Indian Wells yet.

The world No 16 was provisionally on Tuesday’s practice schedule at the Masters 1000 event, with the Russian set to hit with Ben Shelton.

However, this session has since been removed from the practice schedule, heavily implying that Khachanov is not yet in Indian Wells.

There is no official confirmation, but it seems more than likely that Khachanov is still in Dubai, meaning his Indian Wells participation could well be hanging in the balance.

On Monday afternoon, Russian tennis journalist Sofya Tartakova reported that Khachanov was still in Dubai — though almost 24 hours have passed since this point.

Khachanov is the 16th seed in Indian Wells and, as one of the 32 seeded players in the men’s singles draw, has the luxury of an opening-round bye at the event.

That means that he will not be in round-one action on Wednesday or Thursday, giving him two extra days to safely make it to Indian Wells before the start of his campaign.

Currently, he is set to face either Joao Fonseca or Raphael Collignon in the second round.

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