Serbian professional tennis player Novak Djokovic reportedly has a controlling shareholder in a Danish biotech firm aiming to develop a treatment for COVID-19 that does not involve vaccination.
- According to Reuters, Novak Djokovic bought an 80% stake in Denmark-based QuantBioRes in 2020.
- Djokovic was deported from Australia after the government canceled his visa in a dispute over a medical exemption relating to his unvaccinated status.
- Related: A Novak Djokovic Timeline: A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Australian Open.
- Ivan Loncarevic, QuantBioRes's CEO, confirmed the investment to Reuters but declined to say how much it was.
- QuantBioRes has about a dozen researchers working in Denmark, Australia, and Slovenia, according to Loncarevic, who stressed that the company was working on a treatment, not a vaccine.
- The company's website says it started developing a "deactivation mechanism" for COVID-19 in July 2020.
- Djokovic and his wife Jelena own 40.8% and 39.2% in QuantBioRes, respectively, the report noted, citing the Danish company register.
- Djokovic is currently ranked as world No. 1, and Forbes listed him in the world's top-50 highest-paid athletes for 2021.
- It calculated his on-court earnings at $4.5 million, compared to $30 million he earned off the court.
