The Australian Open’s battle with fitness tracking company WHOOP is set to blow up again.
World No.1s Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka have been both told to remove their WHOOP devices from their wrists at various stages of the tournament.
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So too has defending men’s champion Jannik Sinner, who even went to the effort of trying to hide it beneath a sweatband.
The sneaky tactics are set to reach a new level as the tournament reaches the semi-finals.
WHOOP chief executive and founder Will Ahmed took to social media today to share the news that he will be sending top players undergarments to conceal their devices.
“We are here at WHOOP headquarters in the wake of an enormous scandal with the Australian Open,” Ahmed said in a video posted on social media.
“The Australian Open has come out saying that the world’s best tennis players cannot wear their WHOOP during matches. This is in direct contradiction to we’ve done with the International Tennis Federation that says that WHOOP can be worn in matches, and it’s safe to do so.
“We are going to be shipping out our WHOOP body apparel … you can wear WHOOP in your undergarments. We will be shipping boxers, bras and underwear to the world’s best tennis players at the Australian Open, and that will allow them to be wearing these garments in matches, should they so choose.
“Ultimately we’re here to protect the players’ interests and their right to understand their health and performance.”
Ahmed’s provocative video comes after Sabalenka and Sinner both made post-match comments about the situation after they were told by chair umpires to take them off during the warm-up.
Sabalenka stressed that she was confused by the conflicting rules around the device at different tournaments on the circuit.
“The reason why I was wearing that on court is because we received an email that we got approval from the ITF (International Tennis Federation) to wear this device,” Sabalenka said.
“I didn’t know that the grand slams didn’t come to the same conclusion.
“I don’t understand why because the whole year we are wearing them in WTA tournaments, all the tournaments I play we wear Whoop (devices).
“It’s just for tracking my health.
“I don’t understand why the grand slams are not allowing us to wear it and I really hope that they will reconsider the decision and let their players track their health monitor.”
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Sinner on the other hand explained what he likes to use the device for.
But the two-time defending champion said he had learned his lesson after being sprung.
“There is certain data what we would like to track a little bit on court. It’s not for the live thing,” Sinner said.
“It’s more about (what) you can see after the match.
“These are datas what we would like to use also in practice sessions because from that you can practice on with the heart rate, how much calories you burn, all these kind of things.
“I mean, the umpire asked me straight away if this is the tracker. I said, ‘Yes’. He said (to) remove. It’s fine.
“There are other things we could use. It’s the vest. But it’s a bit for me uncomfortable. You feel like you have something on the shoulders. It’s a bit different.
“But rules are rules. I understand. I won’t use it again.”
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Following the incidents with the tournament’s biggest stars, Tennis Australia issued a statement on the issue.
The organisation did not shutdown the prospect of changing the rules in the future, but also stated that players can access similar data elsewhere – via the company the Australian Open uses for electronic line calling.
“Wearables are currently not permitted at grand slams,” the statement read.
“The Australian Open is involved in ongoing discussions on how this situation could change.
“Some wearables provide athletes with an indication of internal load (such as heart rate), which can give them a 360-degree view of the work they’re doing and how their bodies’ respond.
“In terms of other data provided to athletes and their teams at the AO, players can monitor key external load measures such as distance covered, changes of direction, high acceleration events and speed/spin of shots via Bolt 6.”
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