Serena Williams suffered an embarrassing moment before her fourth-round match at the Australian Open when she mistakenly walked onto court after the announcer introduced the ‘world No 1’ – a title that belongs to her opponent Simona Halep.
The 37-year-old American, currently ranked 16th in the world, was wearing headphones and waiting with Halep when the announcement was made. She strode onto Rod Laver Arena before realising her error and performing a red-faced U-turn back off court.
Halep, the reigning world No 1, smiled at the mix-up and took to the court moments later to wave to the crowd. Williams, who has spent a total of 319 weeks at the top ranking during her career, later defeated Halep 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals.
The gaffe was captured on video and widely shared on social media, with fans finding humour in the moment. Williams has been climbing back up the rankings since returning from maternity leave in 2018 after the birth of her daughter.
