Alcaraz Explains How Fans Dressed As Bees Motivated Him To Win In Indian Wells
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Carlos Alcaraz had special support during his third-round match at the 2025 Indian Wells Open, and he really appreciated it.
Alcaraz is a two-time defending champion in Indian Wells, but his road to the title this year is far from easy. He beat Quentin Halys in the second round, and his third-round opponent was Denis Shapovalov.
The Spaniard overcame Shapovalov relatively easily, and he received plenty of support from the fans at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. In fact, there was a group of fans that came dressed up to support the four-time Grand Slam champion.
Over the years, there have been many support groups for different tennis players. Most recently, Jannik Sinner earned the support of his "Carota Boys," who chose a carrot as their costume because their favorite player previously ate carrots during his matches.
Alcaraz now seems to have his group of fans as well, and they could be named "Bee Boys." Last year, the two-time Indian Wells Open champion was part of one of the most bizarre moments in tennis history when his match was stopped because of a bee invasion. The Spanish player was actually stung by a bee during that bizarre moment.
This year, he was welcomed by fans who reminded him of the incident, as they were dressed like bees. Alcaraz immediately noticed them and even took a selfie with them after the match. The Spaniard also talked about how these fans helped him during the match.
"It is funny because, I mean, it helped me a lot because, during the whole first set, I was looking at them and laughing (smiling). And I always say that when I laugh, when I have fun on the court, I play good tennis."
"So probably thanks to them I could show good tennis, as well. I didn't realize until the second game, the camera put them on the screen. So it was funny. As I said, I took a selfie with them at the end, because I think they deserve it."
Of course, Alcaraz had many reasons to be happy about his performance. Shapovalov has been one of the better players in recent years, having won the Dallas Open.
Alcaraz beat the Canadian 6-2, 6-4, which just shows how solid he was. After the match, the two-time Wimbledon champion praised his opponent but also talked about his performance, which he was happy about.
"Well, I knew at the beginning of the match that I had to be really focused. I had to start the match really strong, knowing it was going to be a really tough battle. Just really happy that I was able to do it."
"I mean, Denis is a great player. He's been playing really good tennis lately. He started the season really strong with really powerful shots. So I'm just really pleased about my performance today, about everything I have done."
