How tennis stars forced a rule change and won a fight to access their health data

Tennis players well be permitted to wear fitness trackers at grand slam tournaments for the first time after the French Open announced a trial on connected devices and wearable technology.

It comes after an argument over wearable devices such as Whoop fitness trackers erupted at the Australian Open in January. Star players such as Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner made headlines after they were ordered to remove them before matches.

Although wearables had been approved by The International Tennis Federation (ITF) and was on its list of permitted devices, with those devices also allowed on the ATP and WTA Tours, the grand slam tournaments had operated on a different set of guidelines. Tennis Australia, the organiser of the Australian Open, had confirmed that wearable wrist technology was not permitted at the grand slams – although it said the tournament was “in discussions” over allowing such devices in the future.

Now, following criticism of the rule from the World No 1 Sabalenka, the French Open has become the first of the four grand slam tournaments to allow the technology, following an announcement from tournament director Amelie Mauresmo at a press conference on Thursday. The French Open said wearables will be permitted on a “trial basis” that will extend to Wimbledon and the US Open later this year and allow players to have access to their data during the sport’s biggest tournaments.

“The use of connected devices – which provide players with a wealth of information – will be permitted for the first time at a grand slam,” Mauresmo said. “Once again, the aim is to improve players’ performance.”

According to a description of the product, the data the Whoop tracker provides includes heart rate, heart rate variability, recovery, activity strain, blood oxygenation, skin temperature, respiratory rate and blood pressure, as well as sleep performance. In a video published by the WTA, Sabalenka, who is a Whoop ambassador, explained that the band monitored her stress levels between matches and the data advised her to take days off after it found she was in the “red zone”.

Masters champion Rory McIlroy is an investor in Whoop and the company published some of his statistics following his triumph at Augusta on Sunday, including his heart rate and recovery score data. The statistics showed McIlroy’s heart rate spiked to 135 bpm when he stood on the 18th tee on the final round on Sunday, but then fell to 105 bpm for the tap-in putt that saw him claim back-to-back Masters titles. Tennis players could now also share their statistics, such as on match point during a grand slam final.

Sabalenka had expressed frustration at the ban during the Australian Open. “I don’t understand why, because the whole year we are wearing, on WTA tournaments, all the tournaments I play we wear Whoop,” she said. “It’s just for tracking my health. I don’t understand why grand slams are not allowed us to wear it, and I really hope that they will reconsider the decision and let their players track their health monitor.”

The ban on wearables was highlighted by Alcaraz and Sinner being ordered to remove devices from their wrists before matches in Melbourne. Alcaraz was caught mid-match with a device under his wristband, with Sinner also stopped after umpire Greg Allensworth spotted he had one hidden under his wristband before the coin toss. Sinner removed it without complaint but said afterwards that he wanted to see his data to inform recovery before his next match.

Sinner had struggled with extreme heat during the Australian Open and the Italian explained: “It’s not for the live thing. 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.”

The Australian Open’s stance on wearables was criticised by the Whoop founder and CEO, who posted on X/Twitter: “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 ITF approved the Whoop device following a review last year, as long as haptic feedback, such as vibrations on the wrist, is disabled during competition.