Whoop Responds After Carlos Alcaraz Forced to Remove Its Fitness Band During Australian Open Match

Carlos Alcaraz was forced to remove his Whoop fitness tracker from his wrist during his fourth-round clash with America’s Tommy Paul at the Australian Open. Whoop band, a screenless tracker, can help monitor a person’s sleep, stress, heart health, strain, and respiratory rate, among other things.

The exact reason why players weren’t allowed to wear the band is unclear. Not only Alcaraz, but his arch-rival Jannik Sinner and women’s World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka were also asked to remove the health analytical device. Whoop responded to the controversy on X.

WHOOP was built for athletes. Screenless. Always on. It’s performance-enhancing — by design. That’s the whole point. So when it’s cleared to be worn in game, taking that insight away is like asking athletes to play blind.

Alcaraz is chasing his first Australian Open title. It’s one of the few tournaments where the Spaniard has never made the semifinals. Twice he reached the quarterfinals, in 2024 and 2025, losing both in four sets to Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic, respectively.

WHOOP was built for athletes.

Screenless. Always on.

It’s performance-enhancing — by design. That’s the whole point.

So when it’s cleared to be worn in game, taking that insight away is like asking athletes to play blind. https://t.co/KYnc78WLjq

— WHOOP (@WHOOP) January 25, 2026

Alcaraz has once again made the last eight of the Melbourne Slam, and this time, he will square off against home favorite Alex de Minaur, who breezed past Alexander Bublik. The World No.6 doesn’t have a good head-to-head record against the six-time Grand Slam champion, having lost their previous five meetings.

Carlos Alcaraz thinks he may have an advantage over Jannik Sinner

Carlos Alcaraz commented on Jannik Sinner‘s third-round match against Eliot Spizzirri, which saw the Italian finish the match under the closed roof of the Rod Laver Arena because of the heat policy. Sinner struggled with severe cramps, but as the heat rule came into effect, the players were given a 10-minute break, and this helped Sinner cool down.

I have had games in which I have had cramps, and then physically I have noticed it in the following days, especially the next day, feeling more burdened and with more aches. Maybe that can harm you, putting more intensity or more hours into the body. It may or may not harm you; it depends on how you have it. I know that someone like him measures everything to the millimetre, and they will do things right to get in top shape.

Carlos Alcaraz said at the press conference

Alcaraz will be playing Alex de Minaur on Tuesday (January 27), and the temperature on this day is expected to reach as high as 43 degrees Celcius. The Murcia native thinks that because he is from a warm region, the conditions in Melbourne benefit him.

He is from a mountain area, very cold. I’m from Murcia, very hot. The warmer conditions benefit me; I’m not going to deny that, but in the end, as he has been on the circuit for a long time and since we are playing a lot in the summer, I think he has also adapted. Even so, we can see that it still sometimes costs him, and that’s something that I can take advantage of in my case.

Carlos Alcaraz added

Both Alcaraz and Sinner are chasing history at Melbourne Park. If Alcaraz wins, he will become the youngest man in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam. And if the four-time Grand Slam champion wins, he will become the second man in the Open Era after Novak Djokovic to win three consecutive titles in the tournament.

After knocking out Spizzirri, the World No.2 breezed past compatriot Luciano Darderi to schedule his quarterfinal match against Ben Shelton, who eliminated three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud. In the previous two Australian Open finals, Sinner defeated Daniil Medvedev in 2024 and Alexander Zverev in 2025.

Also read: Alexander Zverev Drops a Truth Bomb About the ‘Big 3’ Era After Advancing to the Australian Open Quarterfinals