Harriet Dart, a British tennis player, caused a stir when she told the umpire during her match against Lois Boisson at the Open de Rouen that her opponent “stunk” and needed to “wear deodorant.”
The incident occurred during Dart`s 6-0, 6-3 loss in the first round. Court-side microphones picked up Dart`s remarks about Boisson`s personal hygiene.
During a changeover, the 28-year-old Dart approached the umpire and asked, “Can you tell her to wear deodorant?”
She reiterated her complaint, stating, “Because the smell… Can you tell her to wear deodorant? She smells really bad.”
These on-court remarks could lead to potential disciplinary action from the WTA for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Dart was defeated in the first set within 28 minutes by Boisson. Despite showing more resistance in the second set, she failed to capitalize on any of her six break point opportunities.
Boisson, a wildcard entrant, was making her first WTA Tour appearance of the season, having recently recovered from an injury.
Dart is currently ranked No. 110 in the world by the WTA.
Following the match, Dart issued an apology on Instagram. She wrote, “I want to apologize for what I said on court today. It was a comment made in the heat of the moment, and I sincerely regret it.”
“It`s not the way I want to behave, and I take full responsibility,” she added.
“I have great respect for Lois and her performance today. I will learn from this experience and move forward.”
This incident occurs as Emma Raducanu is set to return to competitive tennis next week at the Madrid Open.
Since her quarter-final loss at the Miami Open to Jessica Pegula, Raducanu has been training privately, skipping the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers where Great Britain secured a place in the finals.
She also missed the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, despite a previous sponsorship agreement.
Raducanu will participate in the WTA event in Madrid, marking her first clay-court match this season, followed by the Italian Open in Rome and the French Open in Paris.
