PSG using incredible ‘banned’ tech in bid to win Champions League for a second time | OneFootball

PSG players will use technology banned by tennis to improve their players’ fitness levels.

The Paris club is gunning for a second consecutive Champions League title this season and to help keep the players in shape for the run in it has signed a deal with a company that has been banned by Grand Slam tennis tournaments.

Wearable fitness giant WHOOP is becoming a global phenomenon because of its clever subscription-based fitness technology that improves sleep, recovery, strain, fitness, and longevity.

PSG has signed a deal with WHOOP to allow staff and players access to the devices and WHOOP will advertise around the stadium during the Champions League and Ligue 1 run in. The move is the latest from the club to improve the fine margins needed for Luis Enrique’s side to bring home a second Champions League trophy.

WHOOP says it will help players monitor heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), sleep, strain, and stress. These insights translate into personalized recommendations designed to help optimizing training, recovery, and overall performance.

Despite the increase in top athletes and fitness fans wearing WHOOP devices, the move is not completely without controversy after another major sport banned players from wearing them over concerns they were too effective.

Top tennis players have been banned from wearing the tech because of rules because they may give top athletes competitive advantages.

The devices were banned from the Australian Open and talks are now ongoing to allow athletes such as Carlos Alcaraz access to WHOOP devices in future tournaments.

Medical Director at the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), Dr Robby Sikka, told the BBC that: “Wearables provide meaningful insight into workload, recovery, injury prevention, and clinical evaluation.

“Like any technology, they have trade-offs, but the solution is education and consistent, science-based policy – not sudden bans without a comprehensive review applied equally to all players.”

WHOOP is being used increasingly across top level sport, with F1 giants Ferrari using the devices to track driver and crew performance across the season.

THe devices are also available for amateur fitness fans. The health platform includes an FDA-cleared ECG, a Healthspan longevity feature, Blood Pressure Insights, and Advanced Labs blood biomarker analysis. Research shows that people who wear WHOOP daily log more than 90 additional minutes of exercise per week, get over two extra hours of sleep, and have 10% higher heart rate variability.