WATCH: 'Wear Deodorant': British No. 4 Shocks With Brutal Remark About Opponent
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Fans watching Harriet Dart's match with Lois Boisson at the 2025 Rouen Open were stunned when the Briton complained about how her opponent smelled.
Despite Boisson being ranked outside the Top 300, Dart struggled against her throughout the match. Boisson became inspired in front of her home French fans and dominated, including winning the opening set 6-0.
Dart, who made far too many unforced errors to come close to winning, won a few games in the second but was unable to mount a fightback. The 28-year-old exited the tournament after a comprehensive 0-6, 3-6 defeat.
However, it was not just Boisson's high level during the points that bothered Dart. At the end of a changeover in the second set, she extraordinarily mentioned the alleged foul scent coming from Boisson.
The unique moment can be watched in the video. As Dart got up from her chair to resume playing at 3-4 down, she asked the umpire to tell Boisson to wear deodorant because of the bad smell she was creating.
It does not seem like the umpire replied to Dart before she walked away, unless it could not be heard due to the background noise, but there was not much that could be done since there is no rule about wearing deodorant.
It is also unclear whether Boisson heard or was aware of Dart's comment at the time. If she did hear, it may have fired her up more because the 21-year-old won the next two games to end any hopes Dart had about staging a comeback.
Although many complaints have been directed at umpires in tennis history, this was a truly original one. How opponents smell is not usually something players are thinking about when competing.
Dart quickly regretted her actions during that moment. A few hours after the contest, she issued a statement apologizing and made no excuses for the remarks she made.
"Hey everyone. I want to apologize for what I said on 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."
The Briton deserves credit for issuing a swift apology. Many players have taken a few days to say sorry for bad behavior on the court, and some never show remorse and wait for the incident to blow over.
It is not entirely clear whether Boisson's smell actually bothered Dart, and she now regrets pointing it out, or if it was something she said randomly, but it did not need to be clarified in the context of Dart's apology.
One WTA star who will not need to engage in the heat of battle in the next couple of days is Aryna Sabalenka. The world No. 1 was given a walkover into the quarterfinal of the 2025 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix after Anastasia Potapova's withdrawal.
Sabalenka admitted the situation was a bit awkward, but was most concerned about Potapova recovering well since the two share a good relationship off the court.
