British tennis player Harriet Dart apologized after complaining about the odor of French tennis player Lois Boisson, her opponent at the Rouen Open.
The incident went down in the middle of a changeover during their match on Tuesday, April 15, when Dart, 28, was overheard by microphones asking the chair umpire, “Can you tell her to wear deodorant?”
“Because the smell,” Dart added. “Can you tell her to wear deodorant? She smells really bad.”
Boisson had already made her way back on the court when Dart made her comment, and thus didn’t hear Dart’s derogatory comment in the moment.
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The French player, a wild card in the tournament, handedly defeated Dart, 6-0, 6-3.
After the clip went viral, Dart took to social media to express her regret.
“Hey everyone, I want to apologise for what I said on court today, it was a heat-of-the-moment comment that I truly regret,” Dart wrote via her Instagram Story on Tuesday. “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.”
Dart concluded, “I’ll learn from this and move forward.”
Harriet Dart. Nathan Stirk/Getty Images for LT
Boisson had a good sense of humor about the incident, taking to her Instagram on Tuesday, Photoshopping a stick of Dove deodorant into her hand.
“@dove apparently need a collab 🙏🏻🤣🤣,” Dart wrote.
The personal care brand responded to Boisson, reposting her Story and writing, “Smells like confidence.”
Boisson faces Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in the Round of 16 on Thursday, April 17, at the Rouen Open, which marks her first WTA Tour appearance of the season after battling several injuries.
She underwent ACL and meniscus surgery last May, which forced her to miss the French Open where she was due to receive a wild card.
Dart is currently ranked No. 109 in the world after having reached her highest ranking of No. 70 in September 2024.
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The British athlete was roundly criticized by tennis fans on social media for her behavior.
“The Harriet Dart commentary toward her opponent today wreaks of high school mean girl bullying,” one person wrote via X. “Nasty behavior.”
Another wrote, “I’m all for supporting your own and all that, but can’t stand the girl. Who does she think she is? This is not an isolated incident — This is HER. Take her apology with a pinch of salt 🎾.”
The WTA has yet to announce any fine or punishment for Dart’s comments.
