It was yet another memorable moment for Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells as he playfully joined the crowd in wearing a bee costume, harking back to the now-famous bee swarm incident at the 2024 tournament. Alcaraz walked over and celebrated with a group of supporters all in bee costumes after he clinched a semi-final spot with a win over Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie.
Carlos Alcaraz was all smiles and celebrations after reaching his fifth consecutive Indian Wells Open semi-final.
The Spaniard was dominant over two sets as he beat Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie in their quarter-final clash, and celebrated with fans in a rather memorable way afterwards.
After his triumph, the 22-year-old made his way to a pack of fans in bee costumes. They tossed a costume down to Alcaraz and, still buzzing with energy, he happily obliged and slipped it on.
A roaring crowd cheered as he shared the moment with fans before leaving the court.
The fans’ costumes were a playful nod to the famous bee incident at the Indian Wells Open in 2024, when Alcaraz’s match with Alexander Zverev was suspended when a swarm of bees invaded the court.
“It’s a funny story, because especially in Indian Wells, what happened, it was the first time that I saw something like this, to be honest, on a tennis court,” Alcaraz said in the press conference following his victory.
“So after that, it was more in this tournament that a bunch of people coming with a bee costume. So it’s funny to see them in the stands, supporting with that costume.
“The other day I was with them a little bit at the end of the match. Today they brought me a bee costume, and they started to say, ‘wear it, wear it!’
“So I had to do it for them. They were cheering since the first point until the last one. So I had to do it. But, you know, it’s funny.”
Alcaraz is shining brightly again in California, where he is bidding for his third Indian Wells title.
After final wins over Daniil Medvedev in 2023 and 2024, Alcaraz once again faces the Russian, this time in the semi-finals.
The pair both defeated British players in their respective quarter-finals, with Alcaraz dispatching Norrie whilst Medvedev edged past Jack Draper, who had beaten Novak Djokovic in the previous round.
Alcaraz has been imperious on the court and his smooth win over Norrie saw him extend to 16-0 for the season.