The controversial patch that Djokovic wears at Roland Garros: doping or meter?

Novak Djokovic is facing his most important Roland Garros. The tournament that should place him as the most successful tennis player of all time, and for many, as the best in history. With Rafa Nadal out of action and planning what will be his retirement in 2024, Djokovic advances round by round in Paris with a clear objective: his Grand Slam number 23. If he wins, he would surpass Nadal.

Who can stand up to Novak? Without Nadal, everything is very complicated. It is true that there are great tennis players who could put him in trouble: Alcaraz, Tsitsipas, Rune, Zverev, Sinner… But, among all of them, they do not even have the experience that Djokovic has in a Grand Slam final.

The great asset of the so-called ‘next gen’ (new generation) is Novak’s age. At 36 years old and after several years with ups and downs, his reign could be coming to an end. Djokovic knows this and arrives in Paris with news: a high-tech patch containing several layers of nanocrystals that capture his body heat and convert it into very weak pulses of light. His utility, according to his creators, is to generate a stimulus in his central nervous system at specific points on his body. Djokovic describes it as “the biggest secret of his career” and assures that if it weren’t for this sticker, he “maybe he wouldn’t be sitting here.”

Novak’s great ‘weapon’ has been exposed in his second round match against Fucsovics. He took off his shirt and the device was in full view. And as was obvious, conspiracy theories came to the fore. A glucose meter? Doping? This Wednesday, Relay brings a point of clarity To the subject. The famous patch is a Tao Patch, a portable technology nanodevice that costs between 280 and 3,000 euros.

According to the experts consulted by Relevo, this new technology could improve posture, flexibility, and even increase performance, athletic concentration, and reduce stress, anxiety, and chronic pain. Of course, no medical school has demonstrated its usefulness, they point out from this medium. The company that manufactures and sells this product collects analysis reports from various universities Italian such as Turin, Palermo, Sassari or the Milan Polytechnic, where there is talk of an alleged productivity of this technology to prevent a sedentary lifestyle, body posture and balance.

Be that as it may, Djokovic is in the spotlight, again. At the end of last season, a great debate aroused after a curious video where his team is seen preparing a liquid mixture in the stands during a Masters 1000 match in Paris-Bercy.

The Serbian was asked about the controversy and responded with a certain tone of humor: “When I was a child I liked Iron Man a lot, so I try to pass myself off as Iron Man.”