Tennis superstar Aryna Sabalenka made a rare unforced error Monday, after joining Carlos Alcaraz to show off their US Open trophies on live TV.
The newly-crowned champions made the traditional stop off on breakfast television in the United States to discuss their triumphs at the Grand Slam, but Sabalenka inadvertently created a viral moment on the show.
After being quizzed about her fondness for recording TikTok dances with her support team, she explained: ‘I am terrible at dancing but I am trying my best, I always pick the easiest move, just so I look okay.
‘You don’t know how long it takes me to do these easy moves, you have to see the first try, it is a disaster.’
Sabalenka then pointed at Alcaraz alongside her and added: ‘By the way, I had a TikTok to do with Jan… er Jan.’
Realizing she had begun to say Jannik – the first name of men’s world No 1 and Alcaraz’s US Open final rival Sinner – Sabalenka placed her hand on Alcaraz’s shoulder as the presenters in unison said ‘ohhh, woah, woah, woah’.
Aryna Sabalenka made a major gaffe alongside Carlos Alcaraz when live on US television
Alcaraz then motioned to leave his seat while carrying his trophy, prompting an embarrassed Sabalenka to put her hand over her mouth and then say ‘Carlos, man I’m sorry’.
‘Okay never mind,’ Sabalenka continued, while one presenter stated ‘we can fix that later’.
The mistake quickly went viral on social media and fans took to the comments section to share their thoughts, with one writing: ‘He tried to leave so fast!’
Another added: ‘Can’t believe he missed the opportunity to call her Iga lmao,’ referencing Sabalenka’s biggest rival Swiatek.
On the show, Alcaraz brushed the mistake off, insisting, ‘It is nine in the morning, don’t worry,’ with a still laughing Sabalenka adding ‘this is the worst failure I have ever had in my life.’
The tennis stars both saw the funny side of the incident with Alcaraz saying ‘I didn’t hear anything’ and Sabalenka jokingly asking ‘can we cut this?’.
Sabalenka began to refer to Alcaraz’s rival Jannik Sinner, left, before realizing her big mistake
Alcaraz jokingly stood up with his trophy and prepared to walk away following her mistake
The two champions were then presented with glasses of champagne by the show, with Sabalenka making a pointed effort to say ‘cheers Carlos Alcaraz’.
The TikTok video mentioned by Sabalenka was later shared by the Belarusian star, who highlighted how she and Alcaraz share the same birthday.
‘Birthday twin and @usopen trophy twin, May 5th must be a really lucky birthday to have…’ Sabalenka wrote.
The playful video featured the viral TikTok song ‘Twin Where Have You Been’, with the pair mouthing the words.
Sabalenka and Alcaraz were then seen dancing while holding their US Open trophies.
While Sabalenka is a regular on TikTok, Alcaraz expressed his confusion later on when replying with the message ‘I still don’t know what I did’ when she shared the video on social media.
Sabalenka was also quizzed on the Today show about how she had bounced back from heartbreaking defeats in the latter stages of Grand Slam tournaments this season.
An embarrassed Sabalenka claimed it was the ‘worst failure I have ever had in my life’
Sabalenka later shared the TikTok she had recorded with Alcaraz on social media
The clip then saw the US Open champions dance with their trophies in celebration
The 27-year-old had suffered defeats in the Australian Open and French Open finals, while she was beaten by Amanda Anisimova in the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Sabalenka bounced back by beating Anisimova 6-3, 7-6 in the women’s singles final at the US Open on Saturday, becoming the first player to defend the title since Serena Williams back in 2014.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, was asked about his ongoing rivalry with Jannik Sinner after downing the Italian in four sets in the men’s final on Sunday.
A 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory saw Alcaraz claim his second US Open title and reclaim the no 1 ranking from Sinner, while the result means the pair have split the last eight men’s Grand Slam titles between them.