During the 2024 Indian Wells Masters, an unusual delay occurred when a swarm of bees invaded the court, causing tennis star Carlos Alcaraz to flee to the locker room. The incident, described by Alcaraz as the most unusual match of his career due to the thousands of bees, led to the suspension of play by chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani. Beekeeper Lance Davis, president of Killer Bee Pest Control Inc. in Palm Desert, California, was called to the scene. Without using protective gear, Davis managed to vacuum the bees off the spider camera that traverses the court, approximately 45 minutes after the stoppage began. The bee invasion was highlighted as one of the most surprising reasons for delays at the tournament, alongside flickering lights and rain in Palm Springs, California.
Bees, rain and now this π€£β οΈ @carlosalcaraz's press conference is dramatically interrupted (dw all was fine) #TennisParadise https://t.co/5qpwEFIHys
ICYMI (Alcaraz didn't) https://t.co/zBlvxS2BFt
Watch this bee swarm end a tennis match https://t.co/7M5jfhXZ13 https://t.co/7M5jfhXZ13
.@WillieGeist runs through our #SundayTODAY Highs and Lows of the week, including one of the best tennis players in the world sent scrambling during a match by a swarm of bees. https://t.co/J3ffI1gbKS
ICYMI: Tennis Star Carlos Alcaraz Forced to Flee From Bees During Pro Match | Click to read more π https://t.co/gtvLkyTFyv
He's the bee's knees! Expert saves tennis stars after swarm of stinging insects descend on match - forcing Wimbledon winner to run for cover https://t.co/Nq02bGOqtA https://t.co/YcrDNm6mzy
Watch this bee swarm end a tennis tournament. https://t.co/7M5jfhXrbv https://t.co/7M5jfhXrbv
Beekeeper Lance Davis, president of Killer Bee Pest Control Inc. in Palm Desert, California, arrived about 45 minutes into the stoppage to vacuum the bees off the spider camera that traverses the court, without using protective gear. https://t.co/f0eQovVw9m
βFor sure the most unusual match I have ever played in my career. I saw some bees around, but I thought it was just a few of them. But I saw the sky and there were thousands flying, stuck in my hair, going to me. It was crazy. I tried to stay away from..." https://t.co/f0eQovVw9m
Bees invaded his side of the court and he fled to the locker room before chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani suspended play, the ATP Tour said on its website. https://t.co/f0eQovVw9m
Who was the heroic Bee hero who saved Indian Wells? Matt Roberts told all on the latest Tennis Podcast. The full show - https://t.co/Il45KaIQot https://t.co/oVtkVWKb6J
most surprising reasons for delays during the 2024 Indian Wells Masters: 3) flickering lights 2) bee invasion 1) rain in Palm Springs, California