Tennis star Novak Djokovic—who won a epic 23rd Sizable Slam title at the French Open on Sunday—claimed two weeks ago a itsy-bitsy patch caught to his chest powered by “nanotechnology” is the secret to his success on the court, basically the most up-to-date in a sequence of questionable wellness developments endorsed by the player.
Novak Djokovic throughout his match in opposition to Juan Pablo Varillas on Philippe CHATRIER court in The French … [+] Open.
NurPhoto via Getty Pictures
Key Info
Djokovic used to be first spotted with a mysterious steel patch taped to his body throughout a 2nd-spherical French Open match in opposition to Marton Fucsovics in behind Could perchance.
Djokovic later immediate newshounds the patch uses “incredibly efficient nanotechnology” to relieve him deliver his simplest on the court and with out it, he “doubtlessly wouldn’t be sitting right here.”
The tennis star added he used to be attempting to “impersonate” Marvel superhero Iron Man, announcing he cherished the persona a lot when he used to be a youngster.
Tao Technologies, an Italian company that sells the “TaoPatch” Djokovic normal, claimed on Twitter the exiguous disc is “activated by sunlight hours and body warmth” and its “nanocrystals emit photons in opposition to the body providing several successfully being advantages.”
On its net net page, the company claims the TaoPatch “nourishes the body with wavelengths of therapeutic gentle, with out aspect effects or the liberate of any chemicals.”
To back its claims, the company points to a survey revealed within the see-reviewed scientific journal Minerva Medica, even supposing the cited summary handiest mentions preliminary findings.
Neither French Open officials nor the ATP be pleased commented on the patch or its legality.
What We Don’t Know
Whether Djokovic has an endorsement tackle the company or is merely a particular person of the product. The company’s U.S. retail net net page claims it’s miles at repeat within the “technique of getting registered with the FDA” but says this “would possibly well perchance perchance steal months to finalize.” Forbes has reached out to the FDA for comment. The catch net page notes that it sells two variations of the patch referred to as the TaoPatch Launch and the TaoPatch Sport (outmoded by Djokovic). On the opposite hand, handiest the TaoPatch Sport is listed within the marketplace on the catch net page—for around $266 (€249)—but the description of the product refers to it because the TaoPatch Launch.
News Peg
Djokovic won the French Open on Sunday, defeating Casper Ruud after three objects. It’s Djokovic’s 23rd Sizable Slam title, more than any varied male tennis player—ending a tie with Rafael Nadal.
Key Background
Djokovic has beforehand reach below criticism for selling wellness fads and pseudoscience. He has been vocal about his opposition to vaccination and has refused to steal a Covid-19 vaccine, which precipitated him to cross over several high tournaments including two mammoth slams final year—the Australian Open and U.S. Open. In an interview with the BBC in 2022, Djokovic acknowledged as an “elite expert athlete” he intently opinions anything he consumes—including food and dietary supplements—and based fully mostly on data readily accessible to him he chose to no longer catch vaccinated. Djokovic has additionally been on a gluten-free weight reduction program for more than a decade, attributable to his purported intolerance. Nonetheless the formula he came to that conclusion first and distinguished used to be reportedly based fully mostly on an unscientific test by a health care provider, throughout which he used to be requested to acquire half of bread while his energy used to be tested.
