WTA Approves Whoop as First Wearable Fitness Technology for Match Play

The WTA and Whoop are bringing fitness technology to court to benefit both players and fans.The WTA Tour has signed a multi-year partnership pact with Whoop to serve as the official fitness Wearable of the WTA. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.More: Djokovic Still Undecided on Playing Australian OpenIt's a potentially groundbreaking partnership with Whoop and WTA joining forces to use biometric data directly from players wearing Whoop on court to highlight player performances in WTA TV telecasts and on social media. Whoop has integrated real-time player data into broadcasts for the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, NASCAR, and CrossFit and will now take its technology to tennis.Whoop is a personalized 24/7 digital fitness and health coach, worn like a wristwatch, that helps people "unlock their inner potential and make meaningful lifestyle changes via actionable feedback on sleep, recovery, and strain," the brand says.“Our partnership with Whoop represents a pivotal moment in women’s professional tennis,” said Micky Lawler, WTA President. “We are proud and grateful as we welcome the Whoop team, and we look forward to evolving our athlete health and wellness together."Whoop’s cutting-edge technology serves as a new research and learning tool for WTA players. Whoop will play an instrumental role in the future of women’s tennis and will endow our current and next generation of athletes with a wealth of innovative performance analytics.”

Whoop and the WTA’s Performance Health team aim to closely collaborate on research specific to what the two organizations’ data collectively reveal regarding physiological responses, readiness, and sport performance.By examining the impact of various distinctive challenges experienced by WTA athletes, such as global travel and frequent, high-intensity training on menstruation, the many anticipated new findings will uniquely enrich our understanding of women’s health.Several WTA players, including 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, are already using Whoop as a tool to make informed competition, training, and lifestyle decisions that will optimize their performance on and off the court.“I’ve worn Whoop throughout the 2021 season, and it’s given me more knowledge than I’ve ever had in my career about what’s happening with my body,” Stephens said. “The WTA’s partnership with Whoop goes beyond just tennis and has the potential to change the way players approach personal health."We’ve never had access to technology like WHOOP during matches – it’s definitely a game changer.”Photo credit: Whoop