'Iron Man' Novak Djokovic maintains air of secrecy about mysterious object spotted on his chest at French Open

Novak Djokovic is in the news again, not for his performances on the court but instead for a small, mysterious object taped to his chest.

Djokovic was in action at the 2023 Roland Garros on Wednesday, May 31, defeating Hungarian Marton Fucsovics to advance into the third round. At one point during the marathon opening set, when the Serbian took his shirt off, a metal-looking object about the size of a bottle cap was spotted on his chest.

This left many debating what the object was, with tennis commentator Jim Courier even calling him ‘Iron Man’ on air.

“Something taped to Novak. Have you ever seen Robert Downey Jr. in the same room as Djokovic? Maybe Novak is Iron Man,” he joked while commentating on the match for Tennis Channel.

When Djokovic was handed a replacement later in the match by his team, delivered by a ball girl, it only fueled the speculation.

When asked about it during his press conference, he referenced Courier's comment and said that he was a big fan of Marvel Comics superhero Iron Man. He then stated that it was something to do with nanotechnology.

“When I was a kid I liked Iron Man a lot, so I try to impersonate Iron Man,” he said with a smile.

“My team delivers an incredibly efficient nanotechnology to help me deliver my best on the court, so that’s the biggest secret of my career. If it wasn’t for that, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here,” he added

Djokovic is never far from controversy. The metal object on his chest is the latest in a long line of incidents involving the World No. 3. He found himself in hot water after his first-round win at the French Open on Monday, when he made a political statement about Kosov as he walked off the court.

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Alejandro Davidovich Fokina awaits Novak Djokovic in 2023 French Open 3R

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina awaits Novak Djokovic in 2023 French Open 3R.

After beating Marton Fucsovics 7-6(2), 6-0, 6-3, Novak Djokovic is through to the third round at Roland Garros for the 18th consecutive year. He will next face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who defeated Frenchman Luca Van Assche 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(6) in his second-round encounter.

Djokovic leads Davidovich Fokina 2-1 in the head-to-head. The former World No. 1 won their two meetings in 2021, at the Italian Open in Rome and the Tokyo Olympics.

The two most recently met in the second round in Monte-Carlo last year, where Davidovich Fokina stunned Djokovic in three sets.