Tennis sensation Harriet Dart Under Fire for passing a rude remark during her Rouen Open match.

April 16, 2025

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Tennis sensation Harriet Dart Under Fire for passing a rude remark during her Rouen Open match

When it comes to sports, tussles and heated arguments between players are bound to happen. Every game sees moments of pressure and tense at some point.

One such player who has come into the radar is British tennis star Harriet Dart, who has found herself at the centre of controversy after an uncalled remark she made during her first-round match at the Rouen Open.

The 28-year-old, who is presently at number four for her country, had a match against France’s Lois Boisson when she made a comment to the umpire about her opponent’s unpleasant body smell.

Dart had just lost the first set 6-0 in her tennis match and was trailing in the second set too, when the incident took place. During a changeover, she approached the umpire and asked to convey the message of asking the competitor to spray some deodorant.

Harriet Dart, Lois Boisson, Tennis

The umpire did not respond to Dart’s request, and Boisson appeared unaware of the comment, having returned to the court by that time. The French player later shared clips from the match on her Instagram story but made no mention of the incident.

Ever since this remark went viral in a video clip, she has been facing backlash for telling an umpire that her opponent smells bad. She was heavily criticized for her choice of words, with many even demanding disciplinary action from the Women’s Tennis Association.

Dart later went on to issue an apology through her public platform, saying, “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.”

At the time of the incident, Boisson was too far away to hear Dart’s comments, but later the French woman made light of the incident and took an indirect dig at Dart. She posted an edited photo of her holding a Dove deodorant and tagged the personal care brand for setting up a potential future collaboration.

The Women’s Tennis Association has not yet commented on whether any action will be taken following the incident. However, such unprofessional remarks from players of international stature are not appreciated and they must be careful of not making personal attacks on anybody.