The Australian Open says it will provide health data to players and their teams at the tournament.

“Key external load measurements such as distance traveled, changes of direction, high acceleration events, and shot velocity/spin can be monitored.”

The issue of player welfare has long been a hot topic in tennis, with fears that some star players are reaching breaking point due to the physical and mental toll of a long and intense season.

Sports scientists argue that tennis lags behind other sports when it comes to data analysis.

Alcaraz appears to support that view, having voiced concerns that the season has been too tough and that players Sinner and Sabalenka have been told to remove their devices.

Kitman Lab founder Stephen Smith says the tennis world needs to collect more data from athletes in both practice and match conditions.

He says this information should be centrally managed and shared across tours for the benefit of all professionals.

“There is a huge opportunity in tennis to start understanding how to apply technology and data to improve player welfare,” Smith said. Mr Smith’s company has provided data and analytics to Premier League football, Prem rugby and NFL teams.

“We’ve seen it work in other sports, especially American sports like the NFL, NBA and MLB. The NFL is a world leader in this area.”

“They collect the data they need for the game, whether it’s training, games, injuries, etc., and they make rule changes based on what’s going on.”

Dr. Sikka, who is also the team physician for baseball’s New York Yankees, agrees.

“Other major sports leagues are already building thoughtful, evidence-based frameworks for wearable technology,” he said.

“Tennis should meet the same standards.”

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