The tennis world reacted in shock yesterday as news emerged that Swiss tennis star Roger Federer had been in a horrible car crash in Madrid.
The shock only lasted momentarily though — folks were quick to realise that it was all bullshit. The greatest tennis player of all time was just a victim to yet another dumb hoax.
For some reason, Netlivemedia thought it would be journalistically appropriate to deliver some ‘breaking news’ that Federer was in critical condition at a major in the Spanish capital. The fake story says that Federer lost control of his black Mercedes Benz and swerved into guard rails in the wee hours of the morning.
They even made up a quote by the tennis player’s publicist Carle Canos, who apparently said that “Doctors are doing their best as i am currently speaking”.
Though news of the accident seemed accurate — the 35-year-old was in Madrid to open Rafael Nadal’s tennis academy after all — some facts didn’t align. First, that picture used in the header image is a picture of an accident in Singapore, and from 2014 at that.
Also, Federer would have been a really good actor to still make a jovial appearance at the academy opening despite his life-threatening injuries:
.@RafaelNadal & @rogerfederer put rivalry aside for academy opening @ITF_Tennis pic.twitter.com/TeRGLYV2d9
— Olympic Channel (@olympicchannel) October 20, 2016
We don’t get it — it wasn’t even a clever hoax.
