Carlos Alcaraz was pretty distracted by the bees during his match against Alexander Zverev at the 2024 Indian Wells Open, but it didn't bother him too much in the end.
The start of that match was a rather strange one, as it was abandoned after only two games. A swarm of bees entered the court and stopped play simply because there were too many of them, which was dangerous for both players and spectators.
Alcaraz ran away from the court in a panic, with Zverev quickly following, as a beekeeper was summoned to take care of the issue. It took quite a long time to get it done, but eventually, the players did return, and the match resumed.
It wasn't a smooth resumption as the players were spooked by a handful of bees that remained, with Alcaraz admitting it was pretty tough to focus on the ball as they were buzzing around.
"When we step on court, there were a few bees in the corner that it was bother us. We couldn't start playing again. When we decided to warm up a little bit to see how it goes, I just hitting some ball and see some bees around me, so I couldn't stay my focus, on the ball, I was focused on the bees and try to stay away from them. So that's why we stopped a few more times before the match began again."
The remaining bees dispersed as well so the players could return and finish the match. Alcaraz scored an impressive two-set win over Zverev, showing a pretty high level and an eagerness to get off the court quickly, and it's certainly an experience he can use to his advantage in the future.
"After that, we decide to warm up again, and yeah, I saw that the bees, it wasn't around anymore. Just one or two. So I tried to, you know, not think about the bees anymore."
The most important thing for the young Spaniard was staying focused, and as the result of the match showed, he managed to do that. Up next for him is his young rival Jannik Sinner.
"I tried to stay focused on the ball, stay focused on the point. It was a really important game for me. I surprise myself that I stay focus on the match, not on the bees. But yeah, it was a great start from my side."
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