British tennis player Harriet Dart faced criticism after an incident during her first-round match against Lois Boisson at the Rouen Open. The opening singles match, played on Tuesday, was a lopsided affair, with Dart falling 6-0, 6-3. It was what Dart said into an open microphone during a changeover that drew the most attention.
Dart then addressed the chair umpire directly and implied that Boisson needed to “wear deodorant.” She added rather pointedly, “because she’s really stinky.” The comments drew an immediate social media outcry that led to Dart apologizing for her remarks later that same day.
“Can you tell her (Boisson) to wear deodorant? … Because she smells really bad.” – Harriet Dart
In her apology, Dart expressed remorse, stating, “That’s not how I want to carry myself, and I take full responsibility.” She stressed her high regard for Boisson and said that lessons needed to be learned from the tragedy. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Lois and how she competed here today. I’ll take what I’ve learned from here and just go on,” she continued.
Boisson had been making her first WTA Tour appearance of the season at the time of the ordeal. She’s intent to return to the top of the rankings after a fight with injuries that saw her fall to 303rd. In true entrepreneurial style Boisson approached the challenge with a sense of humor. She jokingly tweeted that she “obviously needs a collab” with Dove after Dart digitally adjusted a recent promotional photo on Instagram, adding a Dove deodorant and tagging the company.
Regardless of the uproar over her statements, Dart’s concern now should be about how well she plays on the floor. She most recently squared off against Croatian Donna Vekic in her second round match of the 2025 Australian Open. The final was played on January 15, 2025, at Melbourne Park in Australia.
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