Daniil Medvedev claimed his second Dubai title on Saturday following the withdrawal of his opponent Tallon Griekspoor due to a left hamstring injury.
The Russian also said he was unsure if he would be able to play next week's ATP 1000 event in California after UAE airspace was partially closed due to Iranian strikes on the country, following the United States' and Israel's attacks on Iran.
Dutchman Griekspoor picked up the injury towards the end of his opening set of his semi-final win over Andrey Rublev on Friday and looked doubtful for the final when he limped into his post-match press conference.
The tournament announced on Saturday that Griekspoor "was deemed unfit to play in the ATP 500 men's final following a medical assessment".
"Not the way I wanted to finish the week here in Dubai," Griekspoor wrote on Instagram, saying he would be "out for a few weeks".
"Of course unfortunate, but Tallon, I could see yesterday that maybe he had an injury. You never know how these injuries develop through the night," he added.
"Sometimes they get easier and you can play, like with some soreness. Sometimes they get worse, so I guess it got worse," said Medvedev in audio quotes provided by the ATP.
This is the first time Medvedev has been able to repeat a title.
The 30-year-old Russian had won 22 trophies in 22 different events before clinching a second Dubai crown on Saturday to go with the one he captured in 2023. (AFP)
Edited by Tony Sabine
