Tennis players will be allowed to wear fitness trackers at grand slam tournaments for the first time after the French Open announced a trial of connected devices and wearable technology. The decision follows a dispute over devices such as Whoop fitness trackers at the Australian Open in January, where top players including Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were ordered to remove them before matches.
Although wearables had been approved by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and were permitted on the ATP and WTA Tours, grand slam tournaments had operated under different guidelines. The French Open has become the first of the four grand slams to allow the technology, with tournament director Amelie Mauresmo announcing the change on Thursday. Wearables will be permitted on a “trial basis” that will extend to Wimbledon and the US Open later this year.
“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.” The Whoop tracker provides data including heart rate, heart rate variability, recovery, activity strain, blood oxygenation, skin temperature, respiratory rate, blood pressure and sleep performance.
Sabalenka, a Whoop ambassador, 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.” Alcaraz and Sinner were also caught with devices during matches in Melbourne; Sinner said he wanted to see his data to inform recovery before his next match.
The ITF approved the Whoop device last year, provided haptic feedback is disabled during competition. The trial marks a significant shift in policy for the sport's biggest events.
