It’s only human to slip up once in a while. But for an ESPN reporter, it happened at a very inopportune moment—while she was interviewing tennis legend Coco Gauff at the US Open on Thursday, August 29.
The interview came right after Gauff had defeated Croatia’s Donna Vekić. It was a very emotional moment for the 21-year-old tennis star, who was clearly still processing the win. While starting the interview with Gauff, ESPN’s Katie George began by saying, “Simone, this match had it all…”
“Excitement, entertainment, emotion, what was it like competing in this one?” she concluded.
Not only was the mistake captured on camera, but it was made within earshot of legendary gymnast Simone Biles, who had been sitting nearby. George had just interviewed Biles a short time earlier, which is likely why she got the names confused.
Social media users were quick to pick up on the embarrassing mistake and took to X to discuss the incident.
“Did that interviewer lady just call Coco Gauff 'Simone' or was I hearing things???” one person wrote.
“Simone’s got tennis skills?? Wait…” another joked.
If Gauff caught the slip-up, she had no reaction to it but simply continued with the interview, thanking Biles for her support.
“She helped me pull it out,” she said of Biles, with whom she is close friends.
Biles and Gauff were quick to share an embrace once the match was over.
Throughout the match, Gauff battled some nerves but was able to push past them.
"Yeah, there's been a lot on me this tournament, more than usual, which I expected coming in. So yeah, basically what you saw out there was what it was, and I was able to reset through it. But yeah, it was a challenging moment for me on the court,” she said.