WATCH: Carlos Alcaraz all smiles as he reunites with familiar face at Indian Wells a year after 'crazy' bee chaos

Carlos Alcaraz couldn't help but smile ahead of his opening-round match at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells as he met the person who famously came to his rescue last year in the Californian desert. At the 2024 edition of the prestigious ATP Masters 1000 event, Alcaraz had an awkward encounter with bees at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, and it was Lance Davis who sprung into action to provide relief to the Spaniard.

Davis was in attendance for the coin toss ahead of Alcaraz's second-round clash against Quentin Halys at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. The duo shared a brief exchange as well, with the ATP No. 3 and four-time Major winner telling Davis:

"I hope this year there’s not gonna be any bees"

"I’m here for that reason bro," Davis quipped back.

Watch the heartwarming moment unfold below:

Carlos Alcaraz eventually went on to start his Indian Wells campaign strongly, as he registered a comprehensive 6-4, 6-2 win over Quentin Halys. The Spaniard's next challenge in 'Tennis Paradise' will see him lock horns against a resurgent Denis Shapovalov.

The two-time defending champion at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open explained last year how he is afraid of bees, following a bizarre on-court encounter with the insects.

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"I'm a little bit afraid of them" - Carlos Alcaraz on 'bee invasion' at BNP Paribas Open 2024

In Picture: Carlos Alcaraz swatting away bees at the 2024 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells (Source: Getty)

During his quarterfinal clash against Alexander Zverev at the 2024 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Carlos Alcaraz was swarmed by bees. The Spaniard, clearly concerned for his safety, tried swatting them away unsuccessfully before running away into the tunnel. The 'bee invasion' needed professional intervention, and Lance Davis was called on to tackle the problem.

Once Davis had successfully resolved the problematic situation, Alcaraz and Zverev took to the court once more, with the Spaniard eventually coming out on top. Later, during his post-match press conference, Alcaraz said:

"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. One of them was hitting on me."

"But yeah, I tried to stay away from them, but it was impossible. As I said, stuck in my hair, so I was running out. I'm a little bit afraid of them. I had to stay safe, and yeah, I was running everywhere," he added.

Alcaraz won the 2023 and 2024 editions of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, prevailing over Daniil Medvedev in the final on both occasions.