Twitter 'conman' claiming to be a rising Macedonian tennis star fools Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams and the BBC into believing he is set for glory at the ATP

  • Darko Grncarov, 21, hoodwinked industry into believing he is rising tennis star 
  • He was interviewed by BBC 5 Live and the Metro about his blossoming career
  • But investigation revealed he'd only played one international match - and lost

A Twitter prankster who claimed to be a rising Macedonian tennis star has managed to fool Martina Navratiloa, Serena Williams and the BBC into believing he was set for glory at the ATP.

Darko Grncarov, who hails from the Balkan country better known for fake news than its tennis pedigree, pretended he was an international player who had overcome adversity after suffering a stroke two days before his first professional match.

With around 200 bogus Twitter accounts supporting his online status, the 21-year-old managed to hoodwink professional players into believing his story with Ms Williams even tweeting him to say he was 'inspiring'. 

Pictured: A 21-year-old man from Macedonia who goes by the name of Darko Grncarov (left, speaking on television in 2015 and right, an Instagram shot of him on the court) has hoodwinked the world into believing he is a successful tennis player

His triumph over tragedy saw him secure an exclusive interview with the Metro newspaper while his confidence earned him a nine-minute slot on the BBC's flagship sports radio channel.

But his story caught the attention of one journalist for the wrong reasons which ultimately lead to him becoming exposed as a fraudster, earlier this week.

Ben Rothenberg, for the US site Slate.com, became suspicious after he noticed a the number of fan accounts repeatedly tweeting about the player who had only been listed for one international match. 

After an investigation, published this week, the magazine revealed Darko was not the person he said he was. 

'The incredible return of a miracle': Last year, Darko claimed to have suffered a stroke and lost the ability to walk before his first professional match 

'The incredible return of a miracle': Last year, Darko claimed to have suffered a stroke and lost the ability to walk before his first professional match 

Lacking in detail: A profile registering Darko as a player on the International Tennis Federation 

Lacking in detail: A profile registering Darko as a player on the International Tennis Federation 

Grncarov was introduced to listeners of Radio 5 Live's Up All Night programme as a 'young Macedonian player aiming to join the ATP tour soon'.

During the interview with host Dotun Adebayo, he pledged to boycott the Australian Open if organisers refused to change the name of the Margaret Court Arena. 

Hoodwinked: Martina Navratilova, above playing in Wimbledon in July, offered her support to Darko on Twitter 

Hoodwinked: Martina Navratilova, above playing in Wimbledon in July, offered her support to Darko on Twitter 

Court, 75, is considered one of the greatest tennis players but has attracted criticism for her hostility to same-sex marriage.   

A socially-conscious Grncarov told the BBC: 'If the name is still there, I'm not going to play. Even if it means I'm never going to be playing the tournament, I don't care.'

The interview aired on the BBC on January 15 but was not available on iPlayer when MailOnline attempted to get a copy, a month later. 

His comments won him legitimate fans with one person writing shortly after: 'Wow, Grncarov is one comment away from Twitter bankrolling his tennis career.'

And another posting: 'He is my favourite tennis player and I've never ever seen him play.' 

Slate magazine discovered he had only played in one sanctioned match, in the qualifying rounds of a minor tournament in Montenegro in 2015. He lost 6-0 6-0, according to International Tennis Federation records.

He claims he suffered a stroke and woke from a coma to find he had lost the ability to walk. 'My world was destroyed when doctors told me I will never ever play tennis again,' Grncarov wrote on Twitter.

News of the young player's remarkable recovery reached Williams. The Macedonian press published private messages allegedly sent by her to Grncarov saying: 'It's people like you that inspire me.' It is not clear whether Grncarov actually suffered a stroke. 

Reflective: Grncarov has now deleted his Twitter and Instagram account but many of his 'fan' accounts are still visible

Reflective: Grncarov has now deleted his Twitter and Instagram account but many of his 'fan' accounts are still visible

Grncarov has now deleted his Twitter and Instagram accounts but many of his 'fan' accounts are still visible. 

Macedonia, a Balkan country of just two million people, has no tennis pedigree but a strong track record of online counterfeiting. 

Many of the 'fake news' websites that popped up during the 2016 US presidential election were created by Macedonian teenagers looking to make cash from online ads.

A BBC Radio 5 Live spokeswoman told The Times earlier this week: 'The usual checks were made ahead of the guest being interviewed. We put him on air in good faith.'

This isn't the first time the BBC has suffered from a case of mistaken identity. In 2006, a man going for a job in IT ended up on the news talking about online music after being misdirected by a producer.