In an unusual incident at the Open de Rouen, British tennis player Harriet Dart openly criticized her opponent, Lois Boisson, for her body odor during their first-round match. Dart, the British No. 4, was overheard on court-side microphones complaining about Boisson’s personal hygiene during her 6-0, 6-3 loss.




During a changeover, the 28-year-old Dart approached the umpire and requested, “Can you tell her to wear deodorant?” She reiterated her concern, saying, “Because the smell… Can you tell her to wear deodorant? She smells really bad.”
These outspoken remarks could potentially lead to sanctions from the WTA, the governing body of women`s tennis, for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Dart was defeated in the first set within 28 minutes by Boisson. While she showed more resistance in the second set, she was unable to capitalize on any of her six break point opportunities.
Boisson, a wildcard entrant, was making her first WTA Tour appearance of the season after overcoming an injury. Dart is currently ranked 110th in the world by the WTA.
Following the match, Dart issued an apology on Instagram. She wrote, “I want to apologize for what I said on court today. It was a comment made in the heat of the moment, and I sincerely regret it. This is not how I intend to behave, and I take full responsibility. I have considerable respect for Lois and her performance today. I will learn from this experience and move forward.”
This incident occurs as Emma Raducanu is set to return to competitive tennis next week in Madrid. After her quarter-final loss at the Miami Open to Jessica Pegula, Raducanu has been training privately. This training period caused her to miss the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers, where Great Britain secured a place in the finals, and the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
Raducanu is scheduled to participate in the WTA event in Madrid, followed by the Italian Open in Rome, leading up to the French Open in Paris.