British tennis player Harriet Dart issued an apology for a “heat-of-the-moment comment” in which she asked the umpire to tell her opponent at a tournament in France to wear deodorant because “she smells really bad.”
Courtside microphones on the broadcast picked up Dart approaching the umpire during a loss to French tennis player Lois Boisson on April 15 at the Rouen Open and complaining about Boisson’s hygiene.
“Can you tell her to wear deodorant?” Dart asked during a pause in the action amid the changeover before the second set. “Because the smell. Can you tell her to wear deodorant? She smells really bad.”
The umpire could not be heard or seen audibly responding. Boisson was not nearby when Dart made her comments.
Dart later issued an apology on her Instagram stories. She also appeared to turn off the comments on her Instagram posts.
“I want to apologise for what I said on court today, it was a heat-of-the-moment comment that I truly regret,” she wrote. “That’s not how I want to carry myself, and I take full responsibility.
“I have a lot of respect for Lois and how she competed today,” she continued. “I’ll learn from this and move forward.”
Boisson took it in stride, posting a shot on her Instagram stories of her on the court with an image of Dove deodorant edited into her hand so it looked like she was holding it.
French tennis player Lois Boisson had a clever response on Instagram after opponent Harriet Dart asked the umpire to force her to put on deodorant, saying Boisson “smells.” @loisboisson via Instagram
“@dove apparently need a collab,” she wrote, adding crying-laughing emoji.
Boisson, 21, ranked No. 303 in the world by the WTA, also got the last laugh by upsetting Dart, 28, ranked No. 62, with a 6-0, 6-3 win to advance to the next round.
Fans also commented on the incident in an action photo of Boisson that she shared on Instagram.
“The smell of victory,” one fan commented with fire emoji.
“The only thing to smell here is success,” another wrote.
