Four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz had a really tough time on the court in the Indian Wells last season. But hey, he is the reigning champion. Who gave him the tough time? Well, it wasn’t one of his opponents; it was the bees. Remember that bee invasion during his QF match against Alexander Zverev in Stadium 1? The problem escalated so much that play got suspended for nearly 50 minutes! Later, when the match resumed, Alcaraz went on to make his way into the semifinals. But the Spaniard hasn’t forgotten it yet. And guess what? He had a déjà vu moment again this season.

During his R32 encounter against Denis Shapovalov on Monday, Alcaraz noticed a group of American fans dressed in bee costumes. And they were present in the stadium to cheer for Alcaraz only. Well, they clearly intended to remind him of last year’s incident in a fun way. It was simply hilarious, to say the least. Thankfully, Alcaraz didn’t have to pause the match this time as he passed a smile to them and carried on. Eventually, he beat Shapovalov to advance into the R16.

During the post-match press conference, however, he had a lot to say about this lighthearted experience. “It was a funny moment. I took a second out there,” the Spaniard said. The ‘bees’ in the crowd might have motivated Alcaraz to perform better. How?

He explained, “I mean, it helped me a lot because, you know, during the whole first set, I was looking at them and laughing (smiling). And I always say that when I laughing, when I having fun on the court, I show good tennis. So probably thanks to them so 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.”

When bees swarmed Alcaraz’s match in the 2024 edition of the Indian Wells, a special person came to his rescue. The one and only beekeeper, Lance Davis – the president of Palm Desert’s Killer Bee Live Removal. His efforts were precious as he vacuumed bees off the spidercam, despite not wearing a protective suit. It was only after he got rid of all of them that the Spaniard felt relieved enough to return to action.

And Davis has returned to the BNP Paribas Open. Alcaraz ended up reuniting with the heroic beekeeper, and how! Well, Davis was present during the coin toss in Alcaraz’s opening match against Quentin Halys last week. “It was funny. When I saw him, I was laughing,” Alcaraz recalled. “I didn’t expect him to make the coin toss in the first match. I remember him from last year in the quarter-final with the bees, so it has been a funny thing.”

The Spaniard never misses a chance to have fun on the court, whether it’s his performance or interaction with the crowd. He has that infectious smile that warms everyone’s heart. Even some notable tennis figures are finding it hard to resist his aura!

German ATP legend praises Carlos Alcaraz’s infectious smile

“I’m winning all the time because I am smiling. And I always said that smiling for me is the key of everything,” Alcaraz himself admitted previously. His on-court personality has resonated with the German icon and Novak Djokovic’s ex-coach Boris Becker. Few days back, the former World No.1 took to his X account and wrote, “Carlos smile is infectious…in the history of the game, I don’t remember many players with such charisma!”

With his charismatic presence, Alcaraz is looking to recreate the magic from his last two Indian Wells appearances. He has the opportunity to match a rare record of the ATP greats. For the unversed, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are the only two players who have won the BNP Paribas Open title in three successive seasons. While the Swiss Maestro won the Masters 1000 event back in 2004, 2005, and 2006, Djoker replicated that feat in 2014, 2015, and 2016.

Is Alcaraz ready to pull off a three-peat now? He replied, “I’m here to take that pressure. I will try just to enjoy it. Because this tournament, every time that I come here, I enjoy so much practising, playing. Everything for me here is so easy. So all I’m thinking is to enjoy this tournament. I’m waiting the whole year just to come back here.”

What do you think about Alcaraz’s chances of lifting his third straight Indian Wells trophy? Will he be able to accomplish what Fed and Nole did? Let us know in the comments below.