The escape journey from bombings of Dubai Open 2026 men's doubles champion Harri Heliovaara

Attempting to reassemble car seats for his children under scorching 30°C heat, while trying to cross the border from UAE to Oman, was certainly not how Harri Heliovaara envisioned the conclusion of his Dubai Tennis Championships journey.

Harri Heliovaara also did not imagine being awakened at 2 a.m. by an emergency alert about incoming missiles. He did not expect to be informed that he could not leave the UAE, or to step onto the court to play an ATP Tour final while distant explosions echoed.

This 36-year-old player is a two-time Grand Slam men's doubles champion. He was also among many tennis players stranded in Dubai early last week, after Iran retaliated against U.S. and Israeli attacks by launching missiles into UAE and neighboring countries. In Dubai, Heliovaara won the men's doubles title with his British partner Henry Patten, but the five days spent trying to leave Dubai made the past week the most challenging period of his career.

"Tennis has placed us in many strange situations and provided numerous memories," he said in a phone interview from his home in Finland on Friday, after landing in Helsinki late Wednesday night. "I think this experience will also be added to that list."

A tennis final amidst fighter jet sounds and explosions

That Saturday began quite normally for Heliovaara – the world's No. 8 doubles player, who once reached No. 3. He was playing with his two young children, Alba aged 4 and Aston aged 2, then checked his phone and saw news about U.S. and Israeli airstrikes targeting Iran. Shortly after came reports of retaliatory strikes. Soon, Heliovaara began hearing explosions and fighter jets overhead. "Suddenly everything became very real," he said.

Heliovaara and Patten were scheduled to play the final against Mate Pavić (Croatia) and Marcelo Arévalo (El Salvador) at 4:30 p.m. local time. He thought the match would be canceled, but they along with the singles finalists – Daniil Medvedev and Tallon Griekspoor – were invited to the ATP office and informed that matches could still proceed, as local authorities had not issued a shelter-in-place order.

Heliovaara still believed the match would be canceled and delayed warming up with Patten awaiting a decision. They "almost" requested not to play, but admitted that "everyone was a bit greedy," because if the match were canceled, no one would receive prize money or ranking points. Once decided to play, Patten told Heliovaara they must win, as losing could haunt them for days afterward.

"We stepped onto the court and simultaneously heard the loud roar of fighter jets," Heliovaara recounted. "It was insane. Then during the first set we heard several explosions. At that moment you wonder: 'Are we really still playing?'" Explosions mixed with an atmosphere Heliovaara described as "surprisingly quite normal." The audience, though not large, watched the match as in other tournaments.

After winning 7-5, 7-5, the players awaited organizers' next plan. But the situation was too uncertain; they were only instructed to stay at the hotel and find shelter.

The night of missile alerts and days trapped in the hotel

Hours later, at 2 a.m. Sunday, Heliovaara and his wife were awakened by an emergency alert on their phones, announcing missiles heading toward UAE. "That was the first time we truly panicked," he said, "I thought: 'We must leave here immediately.'"

They carried their two sleeping children to the hotel lobby, where many other guests had gathered. Staff said they were safe in their rooms and did not need to go to the basement – though at other hotels guests were instructed to shelter underground.

Heliovaara said it was fortunate the children were too young to understand what was happening, though he felt his daughter Alba might sense her parents' anxiety. The children's presence also helped them maintain a more positive mindset. Meanwhile Patten, traveling alone, "had a harder time because being alone makes it easy to spiral into negative thoughts," he said.

Organizers covered the hotel costs for his family during the stranded period. The next day they even stayed inside their room. "That day a drone hit the airport, right near the hotel for example, so you didn't feel safe going outside," he said. "We tried to remind ourselves that the probability of something falling from the sky hitting us was very low. But the uncertainty was the worst part. You didn't know what would happen."

Heliovaara repeatedly booked refundable flights, but flights departing Dubai remained suspended.

The chaotic journey to leave Dubai and the overwhelming moment upon landing

Later Heliovaara discovered a commercial flight from Muscat (Oman), a few hours' drive away, to Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and secured four tickets. Patten also bought one ticket, and at 9 a.m. Tuesday they left the hotel.

But things quickly became complicated. The pickup car was too small, and the driver of the replacement car did not bring his passport – essential for crossing the border. After departing one hour late, they reached the border and the situation worsened. Their vehicle lacked proper documentation to enter Oman, forcing the group to switch to another car.

Heliovaara had to dismantle child seats under intense desert sun, while five people and six suitcases tried to cram into one car. Space was so tight that he and Patten – standing 1.88m and 1.96m tall respectively – had to share one seat.

After waiting nearly an hour, they were informed that one of them was not permitted to leave UAE, possibly because Heliovaara had not returned a rental car on time – impossible due to airport closures. Finally they were sent back to Dubai after nearly seven hours of travel and waiting.

An unexpected opportunity arose late that night when Emirates staff came to the hotel to arrange flights for guests. Heliovaara's family booked a flight to Milan. After fearing they might be denied boarding as at the Oman border, the Heliovaara family finally boarded the flight.

When the plane took off and entered Egyptian airspace, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Upon landing in Milan, his wife burst into tears and spontaneous applause erupted throughout the cabin. From Milan, his family continued their journey to Helsinki and had "the best sleep in many days."

Heliovaara and Patten later decided to skip the Indian Wells tournament as they were not ready physically or mentally. "Returning home is always special, but this time I just thought: 'Please let me stay here for a while,'" he said. "Too much stress accumulated and when it left my body, I felt extremely exhausted."

During the interview, Heliovaara was walking his dog through Helsinki snow. He knew compared to what occurred in the attacks and retaliations last week, his experience was not the most horrific. But still, being back home was wonderful.

"It's beautiful here – cold, typical winter weather," he said.