The story behind Carlos Alcaraz and the bee costume at Indian Wells

Carlos Alcaraz once again showed on Thursday at the Indian Wells Masters 1000 why he is one of the most approachable and beloved players among tennis fans.

Shortly after his win over Cameron Norrie, Alcaraz headed straight to one end of the court to receive a gift from a group of fans – a bee costume. He wasted no time putting it on so he could match them and celebrate a victory that sent him into the semifinals of the California Masters 1000 event.

The bee costume is tied to one of the most surreal moments Alcaraz has experienced in his career. During his match against Alexander Zverev at the 2024 tournament, the Spaniard had to run off the court after being stung by a bee, when a huge hive was spotted on the overhead camera. The match had to be delayed until a beekeeper arrived and became the hero of the day by clearing the hive with barely any protection against the stings.

Alcaraz himself referred to the costume in his postmatch press conference and said he wore it as a gesture of thanks for the support those fans gave him throughout the match: “It’s a funny story, because you already know what happened in Indian Wells. It was the first time I had seen something like that on a tennis court. Then I saw a group dressed as bees. It’s funny to see them in the stands cheering in those costumes. The other day I spent a little time with them at the end of the match. They gave me a bee costume and told me, ‘Put it on, put it on,’ so I did it for them, because they were cheering from the first point to the last. I thought I had to do it, but it’s funny.”

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