British tennis player Harriet Dart has said sorry after asking the umpire to tell her opponent to use deodorant during her first-round match at the Rouen Open.
Dart lost 6-0, 6-3 to France’s Lois Boisson. The first set lasted just 28 minutes. During a break in the second set, Dart was heard saying to the umpire, “Can you ask her to put on deodorant? She smells really bad.”
Later, Dart posted an apology on Instagram, saying: “I want to apologise for what I said on court today. It was said in the heat of the moment, and I truly regret it. That’s not how I want to behave, and I take full responsibility. I respect Lois and how she played today. I’ll learn from this and move on.”
Boisson, who likely didn’t hear the comment during the match, responded with humor on Instagram. She shared a funny photo of herself holding deodorant and joked that Dove “apparently need a collab.”
BBC Sport has asked the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) for a comment.
In the match, Dart couldn’t take advantage of any of her six break point chances. Boisson, 21 years old, played strongly and won easily to move into the last 16.
Boisson, ranked 303rd in the world, is playing her first WTA Tour match of the season after dealing with injuries. She surprised everyone by beating Dart, who is ranked 62nd, and broke her serve four times.
This was Dart’s second match on clay this season. She also lost last month to Varvara Gracheva in the first round of the Charleston Open.
