Aryna Sabalenka[1] made a rare unforced error as the world No 1 joined Carlos Alcaraz[2] on live television to show off their US Open trophies on Monday.
The newly crowned champions made the traditional stop off on breakfast television in the United States to discuss their triumphs at the Grand Slam.
Sabalenka was quizzed on the Today show about how she had bounced back from heartbreaking defeats in the latter stages of Grand Slam tournaments this season.
The 27-year-old had suffered defeats in the Australian Open[3] and French Open[4] finals, while she was beaten by Amanda Anisimova in the Wimbledon[5] 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[6] back in 2014.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, was asked about his ongoing rivalry with Jannik Sinner[7] after downing the Italian in four sets in the men’s final on Sunday.
Aryna Sabalenka made a major gaffe alongside Carlos Alcaraz when live on US television
Sabalenka began to refer to Alcaraz’s rival Jannik Sinner, left, when revealing the two US Open champions had made a TikTok dance together
Alcaraz jokingly stood up with his trophy and prepared to walk away following her mistake
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.
Alcaraz’s discussion about his rivalry with Sinner appeared to have been on Sabalenka’s mind when she was then asked about her fondness for sharing TikTok dances with members of her support staff.
‘I am terrible in dancing but I am trying my best, I always pick the easiest move, just so I look okay,’ Sabalenka explained.
‘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 and added ‘By the way, I had a TikTok to do with Jan… er Jan.’
Realising she had begun to say Jannik, Sabalenka placed her hand on Alcaraz’s shoulder as the presenters in unison said ‘ohhh, woah, woah, woah’.
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 nevermind,’ Sabalenka continued, while one presenter stated ‘we can fix that later’.
An embarrassed Sabalenka claimed it was the ‘worst failure I have ever had in my life’ as the US Open champions burst into laughter on set
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
‘It is nine in the morning, don’t worry,’ Alcaraz replied, 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’.
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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.
References
- ^ Aryna Sabalenka (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Carlos Alcaraz (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Australian Open (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ French Open (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Wimbledon (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Serena Williams (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Jannik Sinner (www.dailymail.co.uk)