Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Tennis players at the Australian Open, including Alcaraz and Sabalenka, were instructed by umpires to remove under-wrist WHOOP trackers during matches, despite previous tournament allowances.
- The ITF has approved various models of the WHOOP tracker for match use so long as haptic feedback is disabled, but Grand Slam events can impose additional rules independently.
- WHOOP responded by sending its Body apparel collection, which conceals the tracker within undergarments, to players, though using them still risks violating competition regulations.
WHOOP makes one of the most interesting fitness trackers around, focusing entirely on strain, recovery, and long-term performance rather than on-wrist features, to the point that it does not even have a display. It’s a niche device that works out well for athletes who want deeper insights into their bodies. Of late, WHOOP has landed in some unforeseen controversy during a tennis tournament, and the company has wittingly responded by sending players… underwear?
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During the ongoing Australian Open tennis tournament, several players, including men’s world number one Carlos Alcaraz and women’s number one Aryna Sabalenka, were asked by umpires to remove their WHOOP trackers from under their sweatbands.
In today’s AO match, Umpire asked Alcaraz to remove his whoop watch 🤯
All the athletes across sports use whoop as a tracking device and use the data in their recovery
Tennis players participating in previous tournaments like ATP and WTA have been allowed to wear a WHOOP tracker during matches, so this is a curious change. WHOOP founder and CEO Will Ahmed responded on X, saying that the International Tennis Federation has approved WHOOP for in-match wear and that it poses no safety risk.
Indeed, the ITF approved the use of WHOOP 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, and MG as recently as December 2025, provided haptic feedback is disabled on the device. The Grand Slam tournaments (including the Australian Open) are sanctioned and overseen by the ITF, but they also operate with a degree of independence and can set some of their own specific rules, which is why the controversy has erupted.
Since the players cannot wear a WHOOP tracker on their wrist anymore, WHOOP has now shipped its WHOOP Body collection to all the tennis players at the Australian Open, as Will revealed on X.
UPDATE: We are overnighting our Whoop Body collection to all the tennis players at the Australian Open. The sensor can be worn discreetly and effectively in our new undergarments. It’s going to take a strip search to keep @whoop off the court!!! pic.twitter.com/PZb6bzly1X
This is a curious move by WHOOP, as it’s not exactly an effective workaround. WHOOP Body collection is merely a set of apparels that allow the wearer to wear their WHOOP tracker on a different part of their body beyond the wrist. The wearer still has to insert a WHOOP tracker into the apparel to track their body vitals. Since WHOOP trackers are not allowed on their own, wearing them under any apparel would also be disallowed by extension, and athletes risk being penalized if caught wearing one during the ongoing Grand Slam.
While WHOOP’s marketing team moved boldly to respond to the controversy, it might be in the professional athletes’ best interests not to wear the tracker in any form during Grand Slam matches. Hopefully, the officials in charge get with the times and make adequate changes, lest players be caught with WHOOP in their underwear.
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