Carlos Alcaraz recently squared off against his German opponent Alexander Zverev in a high-profile encounter at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. However, the Spanish tennis player’s intense matchup was disrupted by a bee invasion that also forced him to take shelter inside the stadium. Even though the incident caught everyone off guard, this is not the first time that the tennis community has witnessed such a bizarre play suspension.

From one of the world’s most deadly snakes invading the pitch to a 90s song blasting through the speakers, there have been quite a few incidents that have distracted the attention of world-class tennis athletes competing at their peak. So let’s take a look at the four truly bizarre scenes that unfolded on the court as some blockbuster matches were stopped in the wildest way ever.

One of the world’s most deadly snake invasions at the Brisbane International

The former US Open champion Dominic Thiem was up against the Aussie James Mccabe in the qualifying round of this season’s Brisbane International tennis event. However, it was the first set when fans saw an Eastern Brown Snake, which later also made its way onto the court. As a result, the game was stopped, and security personnel quickly had to intervene as they safely removed one of Australia’s most deadly reptiles.

It turned out to be a 50cm Eastern Brown Snake, whose venom paralyzes the heart, lungs, and diaphragm nerves, suffocating the victim and killing them in 30 minutes. Australian reptile’s venom contains neurotoxin, making it the second-most dangerous snake in the world. Speaking about the ‘unforgettable’ deadly snake invasion on the court, the Austrian tennis star issued his honest reaction after his qualifying round victory.

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Thiem said, “I really love animals, especially exotic ones. But they said it was a really poisonous snake and it was close to the ball kids, so it was a really dangerous situation. It’s something that has never happened to me and is something I’ll definitely never forget.”

Bee siege previously caused a lengthy delay at the Guadalajara Open

The atmosphere was literally ‘buzzing’ when 2-time singles Grand Slam champion Petra Kvitova locked horns with Bernarda Pera at the Akron Tennis Stadium. The 2022 Guadalajara Open matchup between the WTA players was taken over by a swarm of bees, which also caused a long delay that required reinforcements.

Not just the players, but the officials also had to face the bee siege after a slew of yellow-jacketed stingers also took up residence in the umpire’s chair. The game later resumed after the bees were removed, as Kvitova clinched a straight-set victory against her young American opponent. Later, the former Wimbledon champion also took to social media to talk about the bizarre incident in a hilarious manner.

She tweeted, “The atmosphere was buzzing tonight 🐝🤭 @WTAGuadalajara.” Even the official Twitter page of the ‘GDL Open AKRON presentado por Santander’ addressed the game delay humorously. The tournament tweeted, “Bee-right back 🐝” Surprisingly, a similar incident was recently witnessed at the ongoing edition of the Indian Wells Masters.

The tennis community saw another bee invasion at the BNP Paribas Open

In the Indian Wells Masters quarterfinal showdown between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, there was a one-hour and 40-minute delay after a swarm of bees invaded the court in California. The Spaniard also had to face the wrath of the bee invasion as he was stung on the side of the forehead while he also took shelter inside the stadium.

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Umpire Mohamed Lahyani announced the play suspension in the third game as both players left the court and spectators were removed from one corner of the stands. The tournament’s beekeeper arrived, and the game was later resumed after a lengthy delay as the Spaniard secured a straight-set win with a score of 6-3, 6-1. After his quarterfinal victory, Alcaraz called it the most ‘unusual match’ he had ever played on his competitive journey.

In his post-match press conference, the 2-time singles Grand Slam champion also said, “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 them, but it was impossible. I’m a little bit afraid of them. I had to stay safe, and I was running everywhere.”

A 90s song blasting through the speakers caused a delay at the Canadian Open

The intense Canadian Open matchup between Jessica Pegula and Iga Swiatek was disrupted after a verse of the 90s song ‘Cotton Eye Joe’ reverberated around the stadium. As the words “If it hadn’t been for the Cotton Eye Joe” blasted through the speakers, the chair umpire, Marija Cicak, was forced to suspend play in the second set.

“Oh wow. ‘Cotton Eye Joe’ just came on, mid-rally,” the commentator said as there was a brief delay in the game. The match was later resumed as the umpire instructed the WTA superstars to replay the point. The American player managed to overcome the 4-time singles Grand Slam champion in a three-set thriller, 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-4, securing a place in the championship match of the tournament.