British player issues apology after shocking jibe goes viral on social media
There have been some pretty brutal sporting jibes down the years but British star Harriet Dart may have taken verbal swipes to the next level in her match against French wild card Lois Boisson in the last 32 of the Open de Rouen.
Boisson was in dominant form as she took the first set 6-0 against Dart, with her frustrations boiling over during a change of ends.
As Boisson walked past Dart to resume the match, the experienced British player made a bizarre request to the umpire as she said: “Can you ask her to put on deodorant? She smells really bad.”
It is unclear whether Boisson heard the swipe, but the umpire was not keen to grant Dart’s request to encourage Boisson to improve her personal hygiene.
Dart admitted after the match that she was wrong to make the comment, as she used her Instagram account to post her message.
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“I want to apologise for what I said on court today, it was a heat-of-the-moment comment that I truly regret,” wrote Dart.
“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.”
Boisson made a joke about the incident on her own Instagram account, as she posted an edited photo of her holding deodorant with a logo of a well-known company, as she joked she “needs a collab” with the body wash manufacturers.
Dart’s apology should defuse what was an embarrassing moment for Boisson, who is on her way back from injury and making her first appearance on the main WTA Tour this season in Rouen.
Dart, who has a career high ranking of No 70, went on to lose the match 6-0, 6-3, in what was a blow to her hopes of breaking back into the top 100 of the WTA rankings.
She is currently sitting at No 111 in the live WTA Rankings and a good run in Rouen could have taken her back into the top 100 of the rankings.
There was also disappointment for Dart’s Billie Jean King Cup team-mate Sonay Kartal, who was beaten 6-3, 6-2 by Varvara Gracheva in Rouen.
Kartal has had an impressive year on the WTA Tour and is closing in on a place in the top 50 of the WTA Rankings for the first time in her career.
She is also close to overtaking Emma Raducanu in the rankings and could have overtaken her former junior rival if she had enjoyed a deep run in Rouen.
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