Tallon Griekspoor issues apology after withdrawing from Dubai final vs Daniil Medvedev

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Tallon Griekspoor withdrew hours before the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships final.

The Dutch number one picked up an injury during his semifinal win over Andrey Rublev.

Unable to recover in time for the final, Griekspoor withdrew, and Medvedev was crowned the Dubai champion.

Griekspoor was understandably devastated by the outcome, missing out on a chance to win his first ATP 500 title.

He has since apologised for withdrawing on social media.

Tallon Griekspoor says he is ‘really sorry’ to the fans and the tournament

Griekspoor shared the following message on Instagram.

“Not the way I wanted to finish the week here in Dubai,” he said.

“I felt something during the match yesterday and had it checked today.

“Unfortunately, I needed to withdraw from the finals, and will be out for a few weeks!

“Really sorry to the fans and the tournament here in Dubai.

“That said, happy with the level I showed and the way we battled through this week.”

Tallon Griekspoor at the Dubai Tennis Championships

• 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships 1R [WIN] vs Otto Virtanen, 6-3, 6-4
• 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships 2R [WIN] vs Alexander Bublik, 6-3, 7-6
• 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships QF [WIN] vs Jakub Mensik, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
• 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships SF [WIN] vs Andrey Rublev, 7-5, 7-6
• 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships F – Walkover

Griekspoor can certainly be pleased with his efforts in Dubai.

The 29-year-old picked up his seventh career top-10 win in the second round against Alexander Bublik, before knocking out the in-form Jakub Mensik to reach the semifinals.

There, he showed off his fighting spirit, battling through injury to reach the final.

While it was unfortunate for all involved that Griekspoor couldn’t play Medvedev today, the world number 25 had no reason to apologise.

These things happen, and it’s good to see him prioritise his health, rather than risk further injury.

The likelihood is that Griekspoor will miss Indian Wells and the Miami Open, but he should be back in action for the clay-court season.

Daniil Medvedev moves into ATP Finals contention

Griekspoor’s loss was Medvedev’s gain, as the Russian picked up his 23rd career title on Saturday.

He now trails Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner by just one title on the list of ‘active’ ATP champions.

Active ATP title winners

• 1. Novak Djokovic – 101
• 2. Carlos Alcaraz – 26
• T-3. Jannik Sinner – 24
• T-3. Alexander Zverev – 24
• 5. Daniil Medvedev – 23
• 6. Marin Cilic – 21
• 7. Andrey Rublev – 17
• 8. Stan Wawrinka – 16
• 9. Casper Ruud – 14
• 10. Gael Monfils – 13

But more importantly, Medvedev earned 500 ranking points in Dubai, moving him up to third in the Live ATP Race to Turin.

Live ATP Race to Turin

As things stand, Medvedev would head to Turin as the number-three seed.

The Russian had been a regular at the tour finals before missing out in 2025.

Daniil Medvedev at the ATP Finals

• 2016 – Did not qualify
• 2017 – Did not qualify
• 2018 – Did not qualify
• 2019 – Lost in RR
• 2020 – Champion
• 2021 – Runner-up
• 2022 – Lost in RR
• 2023 – Semifinalist
• 2024 – Lost in RR
• 2025 – Did not qualify

He’ll be determined to make his return to the year-end championships in 2026.

There’s a lot of tennis to be played between now and November, though.

Medvedev will now turn his attention to Indian Wells.

The Indian Wells main draw begins on Wednesday, March 4.