Whoop's Egyptian-American founder Will Ahmed is standing up for tennis star Carlos Alcaraz after he was asked to remove his fitness-tracking device just as his Australian Open match against Tommy Paul was about to get under way.
On Sunday before the match between Alcaraz and Paul began, an umpire noticed the Spaniard was wearing the Whoop device on his wrist.
Alcaraz was asked to remove the wearable device and obliged.
"Whoop is approved by the International Tennis Federation for in-match wear and poses no safety risk," Mr Ahmed posted on X, sharing a video from the incident at the Australian Open.
"Let the athletes measure their bodies. Data is not steroids."
Alcaraz went on to win the fourth-round match in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4, 7-5.
Whoops were introduced in 2015, entering a very crowded market that included big names such as Apple, Samsung, Google and Garmin.
Although not the most popular wearables, the company's devices, known for their simplicity and in-depth data collection, quickly gained a following among professional athletes.
It is not uncommon for athletes to use wearable devices to keep tabs on their health statistics, especially in terms of recovery and rest.
Whoop continues to grow and now counts Cristiano Ronaldo as one of its many investors.
In an interview with The National late last year, Mr Ahmed reflected on the company's fortunes. He said his father's decision to leave Egypt and make a go of it in the US was responsible for his career as an entrepreneur.
"There's some symmetry there in taking risks as a young man and chasing your dreams, I think, that's really in my DNA," he said.
Mr Ahmed said he founded Whoop in 2012 when he was 22, the same age his father was when he moved to the US.
Whoop's devices are also very popular in the Middle East, and became the official wearable sponsor of the 2025 Dubai Fitness Challenge.
"We're bringing Advanced Labs to the Middle East next year, especially the UAE," Mr Ahmed said, referring to the company's "clinician-reviewed plans" and lab-testing partnerships, which seek to provide a "complete view" of user health.
He added that improving the quality of sleep was a high priority, and also provided some words of inspiration for those seeking to be entrepreneurs.
"It will be a rewarding journey as long as you find a problem that you truly want to solve," Mr Ahmed said. "Becoming an entrepreneur tests you in just about every way. But it's important to know there's a big difference between very hard and impossible."
