Tennis Player to Ump: Tell My Rival to Wear Deodorant

A British tennis player is offering up a mea culpa after her complaint about an opponent's alleged BO during a match was picked up by the courtside mic. CBS Sports reports that the insult came Tuesday during the Rouen Open, with Harriet Dart hurling it toward rival Lois Boisson of France. "Can you tell her to wear deodorant?" Dart was heard asking the ump as she got out of her seat on the sidelines and headed onto the court. "She smells really bad."

Dart, ranked 62, ended up losing to Boisson 6-0, 6-3, and Tennis.com notes that Boisson issued the "perfect response" to Dart's comment afterward in an Instagram story. The post included a photo of Boisson, ranked 303, holding a superimposed stick of Dove deodorant instead of a tennis ball, with the caption "Smells like confidence." She even tagged the Dove brand in the image, adding, "Apparently need a collab."

Dart, meanwhile, has since said she's sorry. "I want to apologize for what I said on the court today, it was a heat-of-the-moment comment that I truly regret," she wrote in an IG story, per CBS. "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." It's not clear if Dart will face any penalties for her comments. (More women's tennis stories.)