Daily Dose of Social Media: Alcaraz shares a moment with 'Killer Bee' again, Zheng Qinwen struggles with disruptive shouts from the crowd

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, we review some of the moments that caught attention during the ongoing Indian Wells tournament. Carlos Alcaraz had a great reunion with the "Killer Bee," just like a year ago, when a particular bee invasion interrupted Alcaraz's match and he was 'saved' by the Killer Bee, allowing the match to resume.

Zheng Qinwen had a controversial encounter with Azarenka, where not only was the Belarusian visibly upset with the chair umpire, but Zheng was also being interrupted by the crowd. On another note, Serena Williams shared a sweet video with her daughter Olympia, while ATP and WTA stars honored their mothers on International Women’s Day.

Alcaraz greets "Killer Bee" Davis before Indian Wells debut

Carlos Alcaraz met none other than Lance Davis – “Killer Bee” – who was involved in an unusual match with the two-time defending champion a year ago. The match between the Spaniard and Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals of Indian Wells was interrupted for over an hour. The reason? A bee invasion during the third game of the first set. In fact, Alcaraz was even stung on his forehead by one of them.

However, the day in the Californian desert had an unexpected hero: Lance Davis, CEO of Killer Bee Live Removal, a pest control company based in California, USA. He became known in the tennis world as "Killer Bee" because he was the one who removed the bees that were delaying the match. Additionally, his hoodie featured a logo with that very slogan.

This time, at the start of the match between Alcaraz and Quentin Halys, Davis was invited to participate in the coin toss, where he greeted Alcaraz, and they took a photo on Center Court.

Zheng faces controversial moments in her win against Azarenka

Zheng Qinwen experienced an uncomfortable moment during her match against Victoria Azarenka. The controversy began at the start of the second set after Zheng broke her opponent’s serve and went ahead 2-1. The Chinese player then had to fight for her own serve in a deuce, but she was interrupted by a spectator who yelled just as the Paris 2024 gold medalist tossed the ball into the air to serve. This distraction affected the 22-year-old, and Zheng lost the next two points, allowing her opponent to break her serve.

Zheng wasn’t the only one facing controversy in the match. Former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka showed her frustration when Zheng hit the ball with a lob (which was clearly good), but the Belarusian shouted "fault." Since the electronic system didn’t make the call, the famous VAR could not be activated. Despite Azarenka’s protests with the chair umpire to review the video, her request was denied.

The match ended with a victory for Zheng, 6-4, 6-3, as she advanced to the third round of the tournament and secured her first win of the season after three consecutive losses. Her next challenge will be against New Zealand's Lulu Sun, the same player who surprisingly eliminated her in the first round of Wimbledon last year.

Djokovic’s fun training session: Football and Barefoot Jogging

Novak Djokovic was having fun at Indian Wells during a training session as he prepared for his debut at the tournament. The 24-time Grand Slam champion played football for a while as part of his warm-up, before surprising everyone by jogging barefoot on the court. He also performed stretching and flexibility exercises with complete ease, while football was still being played next to him.

Djokovic will debut this Saturday, March 8, against Botic van de Zandschulp, who recently defeated none other than Nick Kyrgios. They have only met once before, at the 2022 Astana Open, where the Serbian secured a comfortable win in straight sets.

Top WTA stars celebrate International Women’s Day with powerful tributes

Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, and Mirra Andreeva were among the stars who shared messages on International Women’s Day. "On this International Women’s Day, we asked our players about the women who inspire them and why," posted the WTA. Most of them chose their own mothers, paying tribute to them as the inspirations and greatest support throughout their careers. They also shared a message for all women:

"Here’s to strong women 💪💚 May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them!" they posted.

Male tennis stars join International Women's Day commemoration

It wasn't just the WTA stars who took part, as their male counterparts also shared a message for International Women's Day. Among the stars who participated were Grigor Dimitrov, Lorenzo Musetti, Arthur Fils, and Jack Draper. The trend was similar to the women, as most players chose to honor their own mothers and mention the impact they've had on their lives. Both men and women are currently competing at Indian Wells, marking the start of the Sunshine Double. The tournament will begin the third round this Sunday, March 8, as everyone aims to find out who will succeed Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz as defending champions.

Serena Williams’ heartwarming family time: cooking with Olympia

Serena Williams shared an adorable video with her daughter Olympia as they enjoyed a cooking session together. The 23-time Grand Slam champion ended her professional career at the 2022 US Open, where she was defeated in the third round by Australian Ajla Tomljanovic.

Since then, Serena has balanced her life as a businesswoman and investor in the sports, fashion, wellness, and entertainment industries, but she continues to make time for family, as regularly shown on her social media. Check out the heartwarming moment the former world No. 1 had with her oldest daughter. "Bet you didn’t know I love cooking. Here is me teaching @olympiaohanian my gumbo recipe," she posted.

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