Carlos Alcaraz asked to remove fitness tracker during tennis match
American fitness tracker company Whoop was dragged into an on-court tennis controversy this week when the referee asked Australian Open No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz to remove the tape he was wearing during the match. The call sparked criticism from tennis greats, other athletes and Whoop founder Will Ahmed, who argued it was important for vital athletes.
These tapes are approved for in-match use by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), but the decision is likely due to concerns about cheating. Whoop bands don’t let you receive messages, and the only way to make them vibrate on command is to set an alarm. But the problem may be that similar-looking groups can be connected to a smartphone, which allows coaches to send secret messages to players.
What is a Whoop group?
Whoop bands are 24/7 health trackers without a screen or most other smartwatch features. They use heart rate detection, skin temperature measurements, sleep tracking and blood oxygen analysis to provide information about performance, health, recovery and tension.
In short, the bands record various data points as you exercise and rest, allowing you to measure the impact of exertion on your body and generating recommendations that can inform your fitness plan.
Wearable technology has generated a lot of interest and popularity among athletes in the past year, as the company introduced a stronger band and redesigned the app interface in May. This includes 14-day battery life, continuous use with a slideable battery pack sold separately, age tracking that promises to slow aging, blood pressure information, and an optional electrocardiogram (ECG).
The platform’s latest update allows users to upload blood test results taken by a clinician or general practitioner and integrates biomarkers such as inflammation and metabolism, as well as stress, tension, sleep and recovery data produced by the wearable device.
Is it expensive?
The short answer is yes. The longer answer depends on how much value you get from analytics.
The company is working on a subscription model, as most of the interest comes from the cloud, software and AI through Whoop’s app rather than the audience. You pay an annual fee that includes access to the hardware, and you only get insights as long as you have an active membership.
There are currently three membership stages:
- The $300-a-year Whoop One gets you an older Whoop 4.0 device with five days of battery life. Features include recovery, sleep and strain scores, activity and step tracking, VO₂ max and heart rate zones.
- The $400-a-year Whoop Peak includes a newer Whoop 5.0 with 14-day battery life. Same features as above plus age information, stress and health tracking.
- The $600-a-year Whoop Life includes the latest Whoop MG device, which also lasts 14 days. In addition to the above features, it has ECG, irregular heart rhythm notifications and blood pressure.
In addition to subscriptions, Whoop also sells extras, including nicer bands ($80 to $200), batteries, and clothing that can accommodate the sensor if you don’t want it on your wrist.
What are the alternatives?
Whoop is popular among athletes because it focuses entirely on performance analysis and recovery. No other platform currently matches the level of daily actionable advice for committed athletes. But for casual fitness enthusiasts, there are other options that do similar things.
- Apple Watch. The current cheapest model is the $400 Watch SE 3, which tracks heart rate, breathing rate, temperature and sleep. It notifies you of high, low, and irregular heart rates and can detect if you’re in a hard slump. While Apple Health isn’t as comprehensive a platform as Whoop, it can export data to other apps, and the Apple Watch has many non-exercise features. More expensive watches, starting at $680, add oxygen to the blood and an ECG.
- Google Pixel and Fitbit. At $180, the Fitbit Inspire 3 is a cheap way to get heart, sleep, and exercise tracking, including blood oxygen and high, low, and irregular heart rate alerts. The Fitbit app also offers features similar to Whoop, such as stress management and preparedness information. Stepping up to the $380 Versa 4 gives you basic smartwatch features, while the premium $580 Pixel Watch 4 gives you much more advanced information, though some of it requires a subscription.
- Less expensive options. Xiaomi Smart Band 10 costs less than $70 and covers heart rate, steps, sleep, and blood oxygen. Its app provides a “vitality score” to track recovery. At $100, the Amazfit Band 7 promises a typical 18-day battery life and tracks heart rate, blood oxygen, sleep and stress, along with alerts for abnormal readings. Amazfit’s Helio Strap, at $164, is implicitly marketed as a Whoop analogue with similar features and no subscription required. However, its application is not that comprehensive.
- Smart rings. If you don’t like wrist straps, you can now get miniature trackers disguised as rings to wear on your finger. Oura is the most popular brand, with its newest $570 device designed for 24/7 heart, stress, sleep and blood oxygen monitoring, but its insights require a subscription. The $600 Ultrahuman Air is very similar with comparable information and doesn’t require a subscription. Ultrahuman also offers a glucose monitor, which is not yet available in Australia.
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Tim Biggs is a writer covering consumer technology, gadgets, and video games.Connect with: X or email.
