Novak Djokovic has been revealed as a majority shareholder in a Danish biotech firm working looking to treat Covid without getting vaccinated.
The world No. 1 tennis player and his wife bought an 80 per cent stake in QuantBioRes in 2020.
The investment has been confirmed by the company’s chief executive Ivan Loncarevic, who would not disclose for how much.
QuantBioRes is developing a peptide, which inhibits the coronavirus from infecting a human cell.
It expects to launch clinical trials in the UK this summer, Mr Loncarevic said.
He stressed the firm was working on a treatment, not a vaccine.
Djokovic and his wife, Jelena, own 40.8 per cent and 32.9 per cent of the company respectively, according to the Danish company register.
Mr Djokovic was deported from Australia on Sunday after a row erupted about his visa, which centred on his choice not to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
Mr Djokovic flew back to Serbia after losing a legal challenge to overturn the cancellation of his visa by Alex Hawke, the country’s immigration minister.
Mr Hawke said the tennis star’s presence in Australia could risk “civil unrest” as he was a “talisman of anti-vaccination sentiment”.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison welcomed the federal court ruling, saying the decision would help “keep our borders strong and keep Australians safe”.
He had flown in to play at the Australian Open, where it was hoped he would win his 21st grand slam title, placing him above rivals Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal.
Now doubts have been raised over whether he will appear at the next scheduled Grand Slam, the French Open, which starts at the end of May.
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