Before facing the American Tommy Paulon Sunday in the third round of the Open the Australia, Carlos Alcaraz had to remove a device she was wearing on her right wrist, because the match’s chair umpire, the Croatian Little Cometold him that he couldn’t wear it while playing. It was a smart bracelet that monitors recovery, physical effort and sleep, among other things. The Murcian took it off without question and after the match he did not complain at all about what had happened. “They are rules of the tournament, of the ATPof the ITF…You can’t play with her. These are things that help you take better care of yourself, better control rest, training, load… but hey, I haven’t been able to play with it, that’s okay. It stops working.”
But the fact is that what happened in the Rod Laver Arena generated controversy, because, according to the founder and CEO from the company that manufactures that wearable, Whoopassures that it is allowed to compete with the bracelet. “Ridiculous! Whoop is approved by the International Tennis Federation for use during matches and does not pose any security risk. Let athletes measure their bodies. Data is not steroids!”he wrote on social networks Will Ahmed.
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! https://t.co/fC3JX6Vldm
— Will Ahmed (@willahmed) January 25, 2026
“Whoop was created for athletes. No screen. Always on. Improves performance by design. That’s what it’s about. So, when its use in the game is authorized, taking that information away is like asking athletes to play blind.”points to an entry of X from the company account, which made an official statement on the matter: “Whoop believes that athletes have a fundamental right to understand their own performance and health, even during competition in events such as the Open the Australia. Whoop is approved by the International Tennis Federation for use in the match and does not pose any risk to safety, fairness or competition. Blocking access to personal health data does not protect sport. Whoop will continue to support athletes and our members to defend their right to their data.”
In addition to Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenkanumber one in the world like the Spaniard, also wanted to wear the bracelet, but had to take it off at the request of the chair umpire on the day of his debut in the tournament. On the networks, many people wonder why the Grand Slam oceanic has decided to ban the device.
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