British tennis player asks umpire to tell opponent to ‘wear deodorant’; apologises after facing backlash

Harriet Dart made the comment during her first-round match at the Rouen Open against France’s Lois Boisson.

French Tennis player Boisson shared a cheeky edited image of herself mid-serve holding a stick of deodorant

British tennis player Harriet Dart has come under fire after a controversial comment made during her first-round match at the Rouen Open against France’s Lois Boisson. During a second-set changeover, Dart, currently ranked world number 110, was caught on the court mic asking the chair umpire to address her opponent’s body odour. “Can you tell her to wear deodorant? She smells really bad,” Dart was heard saying. The umpire did not respond, and Boisson, who seemed unaware of the remark at the time, went on to win the match convincingly 6-0, 6-3.

Watch the video:

Harriet Dart asked the umpire to tell her opponent to wear deodorant 😳

She lost the match 6-0 6-3

(h/t @popalorena)
pic.twitter.com/kk5Wm69jTd

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 15, 2025

Boisson, ranked number 303 and playing her first WTA Tour match of the season, maintained composure throughout, while Dart’s comments quickly made waves online.

After the clip circulated widely and her comments faced backlash, Dart issued an apology on Instagram, calling her words “a heat-of-the-moment comment that I truly regret.” She also said, “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.”

Harriet Dart apologizes for asking the umpire to tell her opponent to wear deodorant. pic.twitter.com/YHpgMQgMak

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 15, 2025

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Boisson, for her part, responded with grace and humour. She shared a cheeky edited image of herself mid-serve holding a stick of deodorant, tagging a brand and joking that they “apparently need a collab.” Dove even got in on the fun, reposting the image with the caption: “Smells like confidence.”

Lois Boisson is funny for this 😭🤣 glad she’s not taking things too personally pic.twitter.com/DiQ05bTbuc

— Christian’s Court (@christianscourt) April 15, 2025

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Netizens took over the comments with many calling out Dart’s comment as disrespectful and unnecessary. A user wrote, “That must be worth a ban or something. Utter silliness.” Another user commented, “Someone educate Harriet that when people exercise they work up body odor.”

A third individual wrote, “It’s basic decency not to say that in public, especially with cameras. I’m so disappointed with Harriet. You lost the match, but my God, don’t lose your dignity too.”

So far, the Women’s Tennis Association hasn’t issued a statement. Meanwhile, Boisson is set to face Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in her next Rouen Open match.

In this screengrab from a video posted on Sept. 4, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the gathering during a meeting with National Awardee Teachers at his official residence, in New Delhi. (@NarendraModi via PTI Photo)

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