Sloane Stephens was asked to take her watch off ahead of her Australian Open first-round match against Emma Raducanu. The former world No 3 had a discussion with the umpire at the net, saying she had previously been allowed to wear what appeared to look like a smart watch in other tournaments and requested that the supervisor be called to double check the rule for Grand Slams. The 2017 US Open champion then removed it following the warm-up.
Raducanu faces a tricky opponent in Stephens, in what is her first Grand Slam match since winning the US Open.
The American won the US Open out of nowhere herself back in 2017, when returning from a foot surgery that saw her ranking drop to world No 957 at the beginning of August that year.
Stephens is also a former world No 3, and was the runner-up at both the French Open and WTA Finals in 2018.
When arriving at the net for the coin toss ahead of their first-ever meeting, the current world No 67 was asked to remove a watch she was wearing, which appeared to be a smart watch or fitness band.
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