- Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner ordered to remove their Whoop groups at the Australian Open
- Whoop CEO Will Ahmed spoke out on the matter, calling the situation “ridiculous.”
- A Whoop spokesperson also contacted TechRadar, reaffirming its position that “blocking access to personal health data does not protect sports.”
Oops, these are some of the best fitness trackers (although the most expensive), especially from a recovery perspective. Designed to aid and inform data-driven training techniques, Whoop Bands are used by all kinds of top athletes around the world, including tennis’ biggest stars like current women’s world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and current men’s world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.
“The reason I wore this device on the court was because we received an email saying that we had gotten approval from the ITF to wear this device. I didn’t know that grand slams weren’t concluded,” Sabalenka told the press after her victory over Iva Jovic. “It’s just to track my health.” Sabalenka, coincidentally, is a Whoop ambassador, so there could be an as-yet-unknown commercial element to the controversy.
Whoop CEO Will Ahmed posted the video of Alcaraz being asked to remove his tracker on social media, commenting: “Ridiculous. Whoop is approved by the International Tennis Federation to be worn during a match and poses no safety risk.
“Let athletes measure their bodies. Data is not steroids!”
Ridiculous. Whoop is approved by the International Tennis Federation for match wear and poses no safety risks. Let the athletes measure their bodies. Data is not steroids! https://t.co/fC3JX6VldmJanuary 25, 2026
Whoop’s official position
I contacted Whoop to see what the company had to say. A spokesperson responded with the following statement:
“WHOOP believes that athletes have a fundamental right to understand their own performance and health – including when competing at events like the Australian Open. WHOOP is approved by the International Tennis Federation for wear during matches and poses no safety, fairness or competition risks.
“Blocking access to personal health data does not protect sport. WHOOP will continue to stand with athletes and our members to defend their rights to their data.”
The role of data in athletics
Today’s athletes know a lot more about their bodies than they did 20 or even 10 years ago. Beyond stopwatches and pedometers, we now have devices like the the best smartwatches and fitness trackers that can generate accurate tension and recovery information. Athletes now have much more information to draw on, helping them understand how and when to push their limits.
I can understand the temptation to wear a Whoop during games, not just during preparation, so that the athlete’s team understands the effort put in during and the recovery process after each game. There is no doubt that the increase in data collection affects athletes on and off the field.
However, while the International Tennis Federation has allowed the Whoop to be worn on court, there is a clear disconnect between that decision and the ban on fitness trackers at this year’s Australian Open.
Whoop also appears to work within business rules. The Australian Open website also lists player sponsorship rules: “At the Australian Open, players are permitted to wear up to two commercial (non-manufacturer) logos on their clothing, each no larger than three inches square.
“Manufacturers’ logos are handled separately and are permitted in additional positions (such as the front, back, or shirt collar), but must be kept small. Shorts and skirts may carry limited manufacturer branding, while compression garments have their own narrow margins.”
It seems unlikely that Whoop’s small logo would violate these laws. It could be argued that the design itself is quite iconic, but there has been a recent increase in the number of Whoop clones such as the Polar Loop and the Amazfit Helio Strap.
And of course you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube And TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form and receive regular updates from us on WhatsApp Also
