Data may not be the new steroids, but Australian Open organisers see a line being crossed
The top women’s player, Aryna Sabalenka, too, was asked to do the same. That’s how the ultra-advanced version of your daily 10,000-step counter came under scrutiny, spotlighting the role of data as a “performance-enhancer” in sports.
Is data the new steroids? Do number-crunching gadgets give athletes unfair advantage on court? Maybe they do.
At least, that’s what the Australian Open organisers would have thought when they asked the world’s top two men’s tennis players, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, to take off the AI-powered fitness monitor under their wrist-bands. The top women’s player, Aryna Sabalenka, too, was asked to do the same. That’s how the ultra-advanced version of your daily 10,000-step counter came under scrutiny, spotlighting the role of data as a “performance-enhancer” in sports.
Fitness freaks and data geeks
Tennis isn’t alone when it comes to fitness tracking. It’s actually late to the data binge. Football, baseball, basketball and even cricket have long got number-crunchers to help pick players, frame tactics and decide team composition. The jocks were finally taking the nerds seriously. It was this mindset change that saw elite athletes embrace wearable technology, programmed to give them workload data that helps in anticipating injuries and recovery.
The makers of the device that the players wore at the Australian Open, WHOOP, were bending no rules. Nor were the stars being sneaky. The gadget they wore during the game was approved by the ATP and the WTA. Only, the Australian Open organisers hadn’t yet shown the green light.
They had their reasons. “Some wearables provide athletes with an indication of internal load (measures like heart rate), which can give them a 360-degree view of the work they’re doing and how their bodies respond,” Tennis Australia said in a statement.
Generally, sports authorities have been fine with a player’s external load being tracked — such as the distance they cover and the acceleration of their motion. As for the real-time internal-load — such as heart rate — there wasn’t a consensus, at least at the Australian Open.
The device that Alcaraz and others had on their wrist wasn’t connected with the world outside, but there are similar gadgets in the market that are designed to provide real-time data analysis with text, voice and even video. What if this on-court data of players reached the coaches’ corner? Wouldn’t they have an unfair advantage?
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In a social media post, the company’s chief Will Ahmed said: “Ridiculous. Whoop is approved by the International Tennis Federation for in-match wear and poses no safety risk … Let the athletes measure their bodies. Data is not steroids!”
Within days, Ahmed posted a video announcement. “We are overnighting our Whoop Body collection to all the tennis players at the Australian Open. The sensor can be worn discreetly and effectively in our new undergarments. It’s going to take a strip search to keep @whoop off the court!!!”
In chess, a black and white story
Chess, too, has a similar story — also about data, and a strip search.
At the centre of chess’s greatest ever black vs white battle — the Hans Niemann-Magnus Carlsen face-off — was technology, unfair advantage and intrigue. The little-known Niemann’s victory over chess GOAT Carlsen sparked allegations about the rookie’s use of chess engines in deciding his moves.
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The use of engines in online chess has been rampant, on-board games also have cheats. “If they want me to strip fully naked, I will do it,” said Niemann.
Other sports
Football and basketball don’t totally rely on humans to search talent or for draft day picks. Every minute player detail — from skills, jump heights, stamina to even temperament — are fed into a computer. The ratings help decide if the team wants to bet on the unproven, but not untested, newcomer.
Cricket dressing rooms, too, have people with bar charts and graphs. India was late to the game. Once, on a tour to South Africa, opener Virender Sehwag faced an unusual field position in the first over — a catching third-man close to the fence. The numbers showed that Sehwag would score the most runs to third-man in the early part of his innings. Many times, these were mistimed hits that flew over the inner circle. In the very first over, Sehwag was caught at short third-man. It was a victory for those with data.
Data might not be strictly steroids. But in an increasingly cerebral sport like tennis, data insights lend humans’ mightiest muscle — the brain — an advantage over those with no access to this tech. High on all those fancy metrics, the Haves won’t quite comprehend what the Have-nots are missing. The Australian Open wouldn’t have taken the call lightly.
Sandeep Dwivedi is the Sports Editor at The Indian Express. He is one of India's most prominent sports journalists, known for his deep analytical insights and storytelling that often goes beyond scores and statistics to explore the human and cultural side of sports.
Professional Profile
Role: As the Sports Editor, he leads the sports coverage for the newspaper and the website.
Weekly Column: He writes "The Sports Column," a weekly feature where he provides sharp, narrative-driven perspectives on the biggest sporting news of the week.
Podcast: He is a frequent contributor to the "Express Sports" podcast (Game Time), where he discusses evolving trends in cricket and other international sports.
Areas of Expertise
While Dwivedi covers the entire sporting spectrum, his work is particularly noted in the following areas:
Cricket: He provides extensive coverage of the Indian National Team and the IPL. He frequently analyzes the leadership styles of figures like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Gautam Gambhir. He is known for tracking the transition phases of Indian cricket and the evolution of specific players like Kuldeep Yadav and Rishabh Pant.
Athletics & Olympic Sports: He has written extensively on Neeraj Chopra’s rise in javelin, the nuances of Indian shooting, and tennis legends like Sania Mirza and Leander Paes.
Human Interest Stories: A hallmark of his writing is his focus on the struggles and backgrounds of athletes, such as the sacrifices made by Shafali Verma’s father or the "silent battles" of veteran players like Cheteshwar Pujara.
Notable Recent Work & Themes
Leadership and Dynamics: Recently, he has written about the dynamic between Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma, arguing that personal friendship is not a prerequisite for team success.
Sports & Culture: His articles often intersect with global culture, such as his deep dive into the 100-year legacy of the Harlem Globetrotters and their role as American soft power during the Cold War.
The "Grey Areas" of Sport: He often addresses sensitive topics like the mental health of cricketers post-retirement, the "outrage industry" in sports broadcasting, and the impact of fan-wars on the game.
Tenure and Experience
Dwivedi has been with The Indian Express for over three decades. This experience allows him to provide historical context to modern sporting events, often comparing current crises or triumphs to those of previous generations.
You can follow his latest work and columns on his official Indian Express Author Profile. ... Read More
