Hoax – During a visit to his former school, Novak Djokovic met his old janitor, John, still working at 79, and helped him with an emotional act of gratitude.
Analysis
An emotional story involving tennis player Novak Djokovic has been circulating widely on social media in recent days. In versions published in various languages and formats, a text claims that Djokovic met the janitor from his old school, Mr. John, who was still working at 79 to support his family. Moved by the situation, the athlete allegedly performed an unforgettable gesture of gratitude that moved the entire country.
The post, which appears in videos and texts with images that seem to have been generated by artificial intelligence, uses emotional phrases such as “what Djokovic did next left the country speechless” and “a simple act of gratitude became an unforgettable surprise.” Read three versions of the content:
Version 1: Novak Djokovic finds out that his old school janitor is still working at 79 and surprises everyone. During a visit to his old high school, Novak Djokovic was surprised to find his beloved former janitor, Mr. John, still working at 79 to support his family. What Djokovic did next not only changed Mr. John’s life forever but also left the whole school and soon the entire country speechless. Want to know how a simple act of gratitude became an unforgettable surprise? The heartwarming gesture will surprise you. Details in the comments.
Version 2: During his visit to his old high school, Novak Djokovic was stunned to discover that his beloved janitor, Mr. John, was still working at 79 to support his family. What Djokovic did next not only changed Mr. John’s life forever but also left the school and the entire country speechless!
Version 3: During a visit to his old high school, Novak Djokovic was surprised to discover that the beloved janitor, Mr. John, was still working at 79 to support his family. What Djokovic did next not only changed Mr. John’s life forever but also left the school and the country speechless!
Fact-check
The above content sparked emotion and was shared by pages and profiles in several languages, but there are clear issues. Let’s answer the following questions: 1) Did Novak Djokovic help John, a school janitor still working at 79? 2) Did Djokovic have a janitor named John at his school? 3) Why are false stories like this created and so widely spread?
Did Novak Djokovic help John, a school janitor still working at 79?
No. The story is not supported by any reliable sources. A simple search on fact-checking tools and in the international media returns no legitimate news about such a gesture by Djokovic. None of the major sports outlets or news portals in Serbia — the athlete’s home country — report such a meeting or any recent school visit by Djokovic.
Moreover, the content follows the typical structure of viral stories designed to appeal to emotion, lacking verifiable details like the school name, visit date, or authentic images.
Did Novak Djokovic have a janitor named John at his school?
There’s no evidence of that. The name “John” does not match the linguistic reality of Serbia, where Novak Djokovic was born and lived until becoming a professional tennis player. Djokovic attended schools in Belgrade and trained at local sports centers, but there is no record of him mentioning a janitor named John in interviews, biographies, or journalistic profiles. This kind of generic name is often used in fake emotional stories to make them easier to replicate across countries.
Why are false stories like this created?
This type of content has two main goals: engagement and monetization. By building emotional narratives with globally recognized protagonists, creators increase the chances of shares, likes, and comments. This generates traffic to pages often filled with invasive ads or traps for scams, such as phishing or data theft schemes.
Also, there is universal appeal in stories of gratitude and kindness, making these pieces easily viral, especially when paired with AI-manipulated images and translated into multiple languages.
Conclusion
It’s false that Novak Djokovic met a janitor named John still working at 79 and performed an emotional act of gratitude. This is a narrative created to go viral on social media, with no basis in real facts, following the typical structure of emotional clickbait content adapted in various languages.
Fake news ❌
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