5 most bizarre moments from 2024 ft. Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz
Tennis can be a funny sport at times and the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff would testify to just as much. Both talented youngsters were part of moments that made fans get out of their seats and take notice during the 2024 season.
The tennis calendar is long and busy and there’s hardly time to reflect. The off-season gives us that slight window to look back at the action. Big matches, surprise winners, and emotional farewells, 2024 had it all, but here, we take a look at some of the more bizarre moments from the last 11 months:
#1 Bees on the court at Carlos Alcaraz match
Carlos Alcaraz ran into an unusual obstacle at Indian Wells, being chased by bees on the court. The Californian desert is home to a diverse wildlife, but the Spaniard would rather have them stay off court.
A video of Alcaraz trying to disperse the bees off the court went viral at the time, even prompting post-match interview questions. The youngster in a candid exchange acknowledged being scared of bees.
The Alcaraz-bees story did not end there as the youngster would run into a similar situation during the grasscourt swing. Playing at the Queen’s Club, the Spaniard again became the target of bees. The second incident, much like the first, gave way to more video clips making their way to social media.
#2 Ball [nearly] hits the roof at Coco Gauff encounter
Coco Gauff’s Wimbledon run ended sooner than she would have liked, with her facing a defeat at the hands of compatriot Emma Navarro. The American did, however, score a couple of big wins, including one over Romanian teenager Anca Todoni. The match also gave the Championships one of its most unusual points.
At the beginning of the second set, Gauff shanked a service return. The ball flew up after hitting the racket frame, and disappeared into the roof momentarily, only to land inside the court onto Todoni's side. The confused Romanian took it on the rise but missed her next shot into the net.
When the Romanian questioned the umpire on a “let” not being called, she clarified that since the ball did not hit an actual part of the roof, it was still in play, handing the point to an equally confused Gauff.
#3 Max Purcell gets a hand cramp on match point
Cramps are not as unusual on the tennis court, with many players fighting through the issue over the years. When it happens on match point though, the timing hurts a little more. Max Purcell found himself at the receiving end of one such instance at this year’s Washington Open, when cramping at match point saw her concede to countryman Thanasi Kokkinakis.
What’s more baffling about the incident, however, is the fact it was not Purcell’s legs but the finger muscles that cramped. The issue left the racket jammed in the Aussie’s hand and he could even take a swing at the ball that was well within the striking zone. He nonetheless shared a lighter moment with Kokkinakis, with his opponent even offering help to try and get the jammed racket out of his hand.
#4 Zheng Qinwen, Yulia Puntintseva vs court officials / ball kids
Zheng Qinwen has had a breakthrough season in 2024 but she has also rubbed quite a few players the wrong way and has had outbursts on the court targeted at more than just her opponents. In one such instance, Zheng found herself losing it at a line judge, during the Wuhan Open final against Aryna Sabalenka.
After an unsuccessful chase for a lob, the Chinese player was seen blaming the line judge for not moving out of the way. Replays, however, clearly showed that the official was nowhere in Zheng’s vicinity, drawing disapproving remarks over her behavior even from the commentators. She would go on to lose the final.
#5 Yulia Putintseva's US Open row with ball kid
Another player who found herself at the receiving end of criticism was Yulia Putintseva, whose disrespectful behavior towards a ballkid saw her get censured on social media.
Pushed to the brink during her US Open third-round encounter against Jasmine Paolini, the Kazakh signaled a ball girl before refusing to catch the ball being tossed at her. She instead stood there and later chose to pick the balls off the ground amid loud jeering from the crowd. The Kazakh, who once led in the encounter, eventually surrendered in three sets.