Australian Open 2026 is in full swing. Apart from the Grand Slam tournament and the players’ skills, what got everyone talking is the equipment that Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka wore but were asked to remove before the match.
Jannik Sinner had the device under his armband, but referee Allensworth noticed it when the players came to the net for the coin toss before the game, The Independent reported.
1. What is a device?
The device in question is the Whoop wristband – a fitness tracker that can measure fitness and biometric data, including heart rate and body stress – which can also provide insight into recovery. Tracking technology can help track a person’s sleep, exercise, stress and heart health.
Experts say wearable technology – such as a fitness tracker – can provide useful information about workload, recovery, injury prevention and clinical assessment.
2. What happened at the 2026 Australian Open matches?
The news that Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner has been asked to remove his Whoop bracelet ahead of the 2026 Australian Open comes as Carlos Alcaraz was also ordered to remove a similar device on Sunday. Alcaraz, like Sinner, tried to hide the device under the bracelet.
Aryna Sabalenkova was also caught earlier in the tournament.
3. Why were the players asked to remove it?
As to why players were asked to remove the device, BBC Sport said one argument it received was that the technology could give top players an unfair advantage. Elite athletes have easier access to wearables – some costing up to £300 (~ ₹38,000) – through sponsorship or personal wealth.
Another issue was ownership and commercial use, including who controls the information generated by the devices and how that relates to commercial partnerships with wearable technology companies.
4. What the rules say
The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which governs the men’s tour but not the Grand Slams, approved players using the technology during matches in 2024. Women were allowed to use the technology by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), which oversees the women’s professional tennis tour.
However, medical analysis devices, known as wearables, are not currently allowed at Grand Slam tournaments such as the Australian Open, according to a BBC report.
5. What did the Australian Open say?
After Alcaraz was ordered to remove the device, Whoop argued “that athletes have a fundamental right to understand their own performance and health — even while competing at events like the Australian Open.”
“Blocking access to personal health data does not protect sport.”
Meanwhile, the Australian Open said it was “engaged in ongoing discussions” about players wearing the devices in the future. However, according to BBC Sport, it is unclear why the devices are now banned.
Whoop founder and CEO Will Ahmed wrote on X: “Ridiculous. Whoop is approved by the International Tennis Federation for wear during a match and poses no safety risk. Let the athletes measure their bodies. Data is not steroids!”
