Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 6, 2024 Britain's Harriet Dart in action during her third round match against China's Xinyu Wang REUTERS/Paul Childs
(Reuters) -Britain's Harriet Dart has apologised for saying her opponent, France's Lois Boisson, "smells really bad" during her comprehensive defeat at the Rouen Open on Tuesday.
Dart, who lost 6-0 6-3, was captured on the broadcast asking the umpire to tell Boisson to use deodorant, during a second-set changeover.
"Can you ask her to put on deodorant? She smells really bad," Dart was heard saying to the official as she struggled against the 21-year-old Frenchwoman in the first round.
The comment sparked an immediate backlash on social media, prompting Dart to address the incident on Instagram.
"It was a comment made in the heat of the moment and I truly regret it. It's not the way I want to behave and I take full responsibility," Dart wrote. "I have a lot of respect for Lois and the way she competed today. I'll learn from this and move on."
Boisson, who was already out on court while Dart was still seated, appeared to be out of earshot when the Briton made her remark.
The victory marked a stunning upset for the 303rd-ranked Boisson, making her first WTA Tour appearance of the season following injury, against the 62nd-ranked Dart, who failed to convert any of her six break points and dropped her serve four times.
Reuters has contacted the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for comment.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; editing by Clare Fallon)
