Fake Novak Djokovic interview leads to a Bitcoin scandal in Serbia

World No. 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic has found himself in yet another controversy, for absolutely no fault of his own.

A few days ago, a fictional interview with the Serbian tennis star was uploaded on the internet, with a statement where Djokovic was apparently promoting a scam 'Bitcoin era' program. As reported by Blic.rs, the fictional comments attributed to Novak Djokovic influenced hordes of people to invest in the program.

The report states that the website with the interview was created solely to spread this fake message. The site claimed that the 2020 Australian Open champion spoke about the program on a Serbian TV show.

How the fraudsters used Novak Djokovic's name for their scam

Novak Djokovic is a 17-time Grand Slam Champion

The fictitious Novak Djokovic interview focused on a program named the 'Bitcoin era.' Here's what the fraudsters wrote in the quotes' section:

"My main way to earn money is a new program of automatic cryptocurrency trading called "Bitcoin era". It is the best opportunity to acquire a small fortune in a short period of time that I have ever seen. I invite everyone to try it before the banks shut it down."

The scammers then morphed a photo of Novak Djokovic and added a 'Bitcoin era' image on the screen.

"Maybe you're skeptical because it sounds too good to be true. I'm glad I tried it because it was the biggest and easiest money I've ever made. I'm talking about daily passive earnings, which amount to tens of thousands of dinars. This is the fastest way to stock up on money right now. But it will not last long because more and more people will discover it and the banks will shut it down forever," the fraud statement from Novak Djokovic read.

The website also stated that the National Bank of Serbia had ordered the news channels not to air the Novak Djokovic interview where he supposedly made these claims.

Novak Djokovic's legal team noted the worrying developments on the internet, and they issued the following statement:

"The text and allegations on the topic of Novak's alleged statement on cryptocurrency trading are not true. None of the details from that text are accurate or have any basis in reality. In order to prevent further speculations in that regard, the matter was taken over by Novak's legal team, which will, from the legal point of view, deal with it."

Novak Djokovic will likely play in the US Open this year

While Novak Djokovic's legal team takes care of the issue, the Serbian star will gear up to make his return to the ATP Tour. His hardcourt sessions have almost confirmed his participation in the US Open 2020; the 33-year-old from Belgrade will be looking to win his fourth title at Flushing Meadows this year.