British tennis player Harriet Dart has apologised after asking the umpire to tell her French opponent, Lois Boisson, to use a deodorant during their first-round match at the Rouen Open.
Currently the British number four, Dart lost the match with a final scoreline of 6-0, 6-3, and the first set lasting only 28 minutes. The incident occurred during the match, when the Briton was heard on the broadcast talking to the umpire and said: “Can you ask her to put on deodorant? She smells really bad.”
Following the backlash afterwards, Dart admitted the comment was inappropriate and expressed regret for her behaviour.
In her Instagram story, she expressed: “I want to apologise for what I said on court today, it was a heat-of-the-moment comment that I truly regret. 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.I’ll learn from this and move forward.”
Boisson responded to the incident lightly by posting an edited photo on her Instagram story where she held a stick of deodorant and joked that Dove “apparently needs a collab.”
Moreover, BBC Sport has reached out to the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) for a response.
In a social media post made by Open Capfinances Rouen Métropole, it posted a photo of Boisson, which netizens commented on.
View this post on Instagram
Netizens showed their support to Boisson and said: “The only thing to smell here is success”, “The smell of victory. 🔥🔥”, “Congratulations on the win. I’m English and glad you won. Dart is known for being a bad sport. Well done on your dignified funny response”, “The sweet smell of sucess!! I hope you smash Wimbledon too!”, and “Smell has never felt so good! 💪🏻💪🏻”
Athletes’ performances
Dart was unable to convert any of her six breakpoints, as Boisson claimed a dominant victory to advance to the last 16.
Boisson, who is making her first WTA Tour appearance of the season after recovering from injury, is currently ranked 303rd in the world. She pulled off an upset by defeating the 110th-ranked Dart, who struggled with her serve, getting broken four times during the match.
This was Dart’s second clay-court match of the season ahead of the French Open next month. She had previously lost to Varvara Gracheva in the first round of the Charleston Open last month.