Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka are among several players banned from using wearable fitness trackers. But why are they banned at Grand Slams?Why are players unhappy?
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Sabalenka used the technology to assist her recovery during her US Open title run in 2024
Sabalenka and several top players have been seen wearing a fitness tracker on their wrist, a device which has been approved by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
But while the wearable trackers can be worn at most tournaments on the men’s and women’s tours, they have not been cleared for use by the organisers of the Grand Slams.
In other elite high-intensity sports, such as football and rugby union, data and fitness tracking are used to identify when players are in the “red zone” and could be more susceptible to injury without sufficient recovery.”The reason why I was wearing that on court, because we received the email that we got approval from the ITF to wear this device,” Sabalenka said.
“The whole year we are wearing – on WTA tournaments, all the tournaments I play. It’s just for tracking my health,” she added.
“I don’t understand why Grand Slams have not allowed us to wear it. I really hope that they will reconsider the decision and let their players track their health monitor.”
Why can players wear fitness trackers on ATP, WTA tours but not at Slams?
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Carlos Alcaraz was caught wearing the technology under his wristband
The ATP, which governs the men’s tour but not the Grand Slams, approved players using the technology during matches in 2024.A statement from then chief sporting officer Ross Hutchins said the technology was a “big step forward in our push to optimise player performance and prevent injury”.Women’s players have been allowed to use them by the WTA since 2021.But health analytical devices – known as wearables – are not currently permitted at Grand Slam tournaments.Tennis Australia said organisers were discussing the issue although the tournament already uses high-tech cameras to provide players with data such as distance covered, changes of direction and sprints to measure load.”Wearables are currently not permitted at Grand Slams,” the governing body said. “The Australian Open is involved in ongoing discussions on how this situation could change.”Top…
2026-01-27 11:30:00
