Novak Djokovic on the importance of routines
Novak Djokovic’s mysterious ‘Iron Man’ device could make another appearance at the US Open over the coming days. The 23-time Grand Slam victor called the benefits that come with the discreet chest patch ‘the biggest secret of his career’, and those who claim to be the inventors have since shed light on the product.
The coin-shaped device was seen strapped to Djokovic’s chest at the French Open and Wimbledon earlier this year. “When I was a kid I liked Iron Man a lot, so I try to impersonate him,” joked the 36-year-old when first pressed on the matter.
Djokovic later explained: “My team delivers incredibly efficient nanotechnology to help me deliver my best. That’s probably the biggest secret of my career. If it wasn’t for that, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here.”
As the veteran tennis star looks to extend his lead at the top of the all-time men’s Grand Slam charts, it seems likely that the ‘Iron Man’ device will make another appearance at Flushing Meadows this year.
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The ‘nanotechnology’ referred to by Djokovic has been claimed by an Italian company called Tao Technologies. The ‘Taopatch’, which starts at £238, is described as a ‘human upgrade device’.
Inventor and CEO Fabio Fontana claims to have come up with the product after becoming addicted to painkillers while recovering from a car accident. “All the therapies I tried only provided temporary results,” he told Sky News.
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“A doctor in Rome was the first to give me results with laser treatments. The benefits were significant in relieving the tension in the muscles of my neck and back, but its effectiveness lasted only a week. I wondered if it would be possible to create a kind of wearable laser to prolong the effect of the treatment.”
Tao Technologies claim that the patch uses layers of nanocrystals to convert heat from your body into light, sending signals to the nervous system in pursuit of ‘true balance’. However, not everybody in the scientific community is convinced.
“The notion that it generates any benefit is bogus,” stated Professor Edzard Ernst, of the University of Exeter. “The principles put forward fly in the face of science. [Any benefit gained by Djokovic would] entirely depend on a placebo response.”
Djokovic heads into the US Open as the second seed behind Carlos Alcaraz, and the Serb will get his campaign underway late on Monday night against Frenchman Alexandre Muller.
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