Both World No. 1s of the sport, Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz, were asked to remove their WHOOP in-match bracelets at the ongoing Australian Open. The bracelet is a unique, screenless device that records the athlete’s biometric data and supports their recovery.
While Sabalenka was asked to remove it during her first-round match on January 18, Alcaraz was asked to do the same before his fourth-round match against Tommy Paul on January 25.
Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz Asked To Remove Thie Tracking Bracelets At The Australian Open
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has approved the WHOOP bands, allowing players to monitor their vitals during matches and later use the data for recovery and fitness regimens. That is why it came as a surprise when both Sabalenka and Alcaraz were asked to remove their respective trackers before the match.
Even though ITF has approved the WHOOP devices, use is contingent upon certain conditions, the primary of which is that the player must demonstrate that the haptic feedback on their devices has been disabled.
There are three stages by which a player can demonstrate the above: turning off the alarms, turning off the Strength.
Trainer Screens, and using the Live Activity Screens while keeping the Strain Target Off. If the player cannot demonstrate these conditions before the match, then they can use the Whoop 3.0, which has fewer specifications. The following flowchart outlines the conditions under which a player can wear a WHOOP device on court.
Finally, even though WHOOP has ITF approval, it appears that the Grand Slams have a separate standard, and players must obtain prior approval for on-court wearables. This might be one of the major reasons Sabalenka and Alcaraz were asked to remove their devices before the match, as they had not received prior tournament approval.
WHOOP CEO Will Ahmed expressed his disappointment that the sport’s top players were not allowed to wear the devices. Defending his company’s position, he stated that WHOOP has ITF approval and that players should have access to their own biometric data during a match. Ahmed said, “Ridiculous. Whoop is approved by the International Tennis Federation for in-match wear and poses no safety risk. Let the athletes measure their bodies. Data is not steroids!”
The CEO was not the only one to criticise the move; former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt also questioned the ITF’s decision. The Australian queried why the devices were not allowed, even though WHOOP is an official fitness partner for the WTA Tour.
“I’m not sure what the ITF are doing well at the moment anyway. They’ve had a horror with Davis Cup and now this, and making new rules now, when you can use it on the WTA Tour, it doesn’t make any sense whatsoever,” said Hewitt.
However, none of this has deterred either Carlos Alcaraz or Aryna Sabalenka, as both top seeds have reached the quarterfinals in Melbourne without dropping a set so far.
thanks for info.