INDIAN WELLS: Carlos Alcaraz recounted how he managed to maintain his focus despite an unexpected interruption during his quarter-final match against Alexander Zverev at Indian Wells on Thursday.
The Spaniard revealed that he was stung on the forehead by a swarm of bees while serving in the third game of the match. Despite attempting to swat them away with his racket, Alcaraz eventually sought cover after being stung.
He described the surreal experience of thousands of bees surrounding him, making it impossible to avoid them. Play resumed after an hour and 48 minutes, during which a beekeeper was called to address the situation.
Alcaraz admitted that the presence of bees initially disrupted his concentration, but he managed to stay focused and ultimately secured a 6-3 6-1 victory to advance in the tournament.
We made several additional stops before resuming the match. Following that, we opted to warm up, and I noticed the absence of bees. I made an effort to put them out of my mind. The match was crucial for me, and I was amazed that I managed to maintain my focus solely on the game, not the bees.
American Coco Gauff, who also played later in the day, expressed her relief at dodging the invasion. ‘That’s the wildest thing I’ve ever witnessed on a tennis court,’ Gauff remarked. ‘Hopefully, it won’t occur again, at least not during my matches.
