British tennis player Harriet Dart has apologized to France's Lois Boisson after asking the chair umpire to tell her opponent to put on deodorant because she "smells really bad."

Dart lost 6-0, 6-3 to Boisson in the first round of the clay-court Rouen Open, part of the Women's Tennis Association Tour, on Tuesday. She was picked up by a microphone during a changeover telling the umpire: "Can you tell her (Boisson) to wear deodorant? ... Because she smells really bad."

Video posted by a tennis fan on social media showed Boisson walking past Dart who was sitting courtside next to the umpire. Dart then suddenly got out of her seat and made the comment as she walked across to the other side of the court.

After the footage spread online, Dart posted an apology on her Instagram story, which disappears 24 hours after it's posted, and said "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," she wrote. "I have a lot of respect for Lois and how she competed today. I'll learn from this and move forward."

Boisson, who made her first WTA Tour appearance of the season and is working her way back up from 303rd in the rankings after injuries, gave a light-hearted response. She posted a photo on Instagram of her on the court with a Dove deodorant stick edited into the frame above her hand and wrote "@dove apparently need a collab."

Dove on Wednesday reposted Boisson's Instagram story with a comment: "Smells like confidence." Boisson then reshared the image with two laughing emojis.

Before her injuries, Boisson produced a "breakthrough performance" in 2024 to win the WTA 125 Saint Malo and won 18 consecutive matches in the International Tennis Federation, according to the WTA.

Source