"Craziest thing I've ever seen happen on a tennis court": Daniil Medvedev and Coco Gauff react to incredulous bee invasion at Indian Wells

Carlos Alcaraz was embroiled in one of the most bizarre moments ever in tennis history on Thursday night as bees suddenly invaded his match with Alexander Zverev at Indian Wells.

Alcaraz sealed the win in the end after a lengthy delay, but it was very much a moment that won't be forgotten in a hurry including by the Spaniard and the bees were a main topic of conversation in press conferences.

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“For sure (it was) the most unusual match I have ever played in my career,” Alcaraz said post match. “I’ve never experienced something like that; I’ve never seen something like that. So I think I will remember that match because of that. I think everybody will remember this situation, and we found it as a funny thing. That’s for sure.

“I won the first point of the third game of the match, and I was ready to serve to the next point. I saw some bees around, but I thought it was just a few of them — just not too many. But I saw the sky and there was thousands, thousands flying, stuck in my hair, going to me. It was crazy. I tried to stay away from them, but it was impossible.“I’m a little bit afraid of them. I had to stay safe, and yeah, I was running everywhere.”

Daniil Medvedev took a different tact also and said it was a once in a lifetime occurrance and one he was glad he wasn't part of. “I’m a bit scared of insects, to be honest. Whenever there is a bee, everyone is, like, don’t move. As we saw with the guy, normally they don’t bite…. I usually sit like this for five seconds and then I’m like, ‘Wah, just get away.’ I would be probably sprinting out of the court.

“But, yeah, (it was a) crazy situation. I don’t think this (has) ever happened in tennis. Unbelievable. When I saw it on TV, I was like, ‘wow, okay, let’s see how it evolves.’ Then (after) 10 minutes I see Sascha coming in the locker room. Okay, it didn’t go well. Yeah, it was (a) crazy situation. I don’t think it can ever happen again. Unbelievable.”

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The same can be said for Coco Gauff with the 2023 US Open champion very much relieved not to be on that court. “That was crazy, I’ve never seen anything like that. Did Alcaraz actually get stung? Oh, he did. I heard that. I saw the video of him trying to run away. I said he wasn’t fast enough.

“That’s just one of those things…. You can’t defeat the bees. You know, he tried to swing his racquet, but there were just too many of them. I did feel bad for him. I’m glad he’s not allergic. That would have been tough.

“Yeah, that’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen happen at a tennis court and hopefully it will never happen again — at least not to me!”‘

Annabel Croft

@Annabel_Croft

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Play suspended due to bee invasion 🐝🐝 Never seen Alcaraz sprint so fast off court @SkySportsTennis

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