A British tennis player, Harriet Dart, was criticized for having made an unfitting comment about her opponent’s body odor after their first-round game on April 15 at the Rouen Open.
Dart, trailing in the second set after losing the first 6-0 in under 30 minutes, walked over to the umpire during a changeover and stated, “Can you tell her to wear deodorant?” She made the same request again, adding, “Because of the smell. Can you tell her to wear deodorant? She smells really bad.”
The umpire did not react to the remark by Dart, and her French rival, Lois Boisson, came back on court without responding to the comment. Subsequently, Boisson posted a video of the game on her Instagram story but failed to make any comment regarding the incident.
Backlash on Social Media
The comment brought a torrent of backlash on social media, with most deeming Dart’s remarks ‘pathetic’ and even calling on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) to act. Dart lost the second set 6-3, and the WTA has yet to respond on possible disciplinary action.
Harriet Dart asked the umpire to tell her opponent to wear deodorant 😳
She lost the match 6-0 6-3
(h/t @popalorena)
pic.twitter.com/kk5Wm69jTd— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 15, 2025
Dart Apologizes for Insensitive Remark
After the backlash, Dart uploaded an apology on Instagram, stating, “Hey everyone, I want to apologise for what I said in 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, who returns to the WTA Tour for the first time this season due to an injury setback that plummeted her down to 303rd in the rankings, fought back with some humor. She shared a photograph of herself standing on the court with a photo of Dove deodorant appearing over her hand. She addressed the brand and captioned it, “Apparently need a collab.”
