Tennis player has brutal four-word response to opponent who said she ‘smelled really bad’

A tennis player had a pretty brutal response after her opponent said she 'smelled really bad' during a match this week.

Now, when you're playing sport, you're obviously going to be sweating, which - as we all surely know - can sometimes evoke a certain odour.

But on Tuesday (15 April), when French tennis player Lois Boisson took on British player, Harriet Dart, at the Rouen Open, some not-so-friendly comments were made on the court regarding personal hygiene.

The comment came when Dart was caught on camera making a comment about Boisson during the match.

“Can you tell her to wear deodorant? Because she smells really bad,” Dart was heard asking the umpire.

Boisson was praised for her response (Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images for ITF)

In the end, Boisson defeated Dart with a score of 6-0 and 6-3, but people were horrified over the comments.

One person wrote: "What a nasty thing to say about someone in public."

While another said on X: “Maybe choose a no-contact sport, preferably one where you have separate designated areas for you and your opponent, being ten to twenty metres away from each other! …oh wait.”

Despite the jibe, Boisson handled it in the best way possible, taking to Instagram to share a Photoshopped image of her during the match.

Although she seemed to be out of ear shot when the comment was initially made, it seems Boisson had heard about what was said afterwards, as she took to her social media to clap back.

Dart was criticised for making the comment (Marleen Fouchier/BSR Agency/Getty Images)

In the pic, Boisson added an image of a Dove deodorant bottle, super imposed onto her hand, writing: "@dove apparently need a collab."

People were quick to praise the tennis star for how she handled the drama, with one writing: "She handled this so much better than I would have."

"Dart will definitely lose sponsors because of this. Bullying someone because you are losing badly is not a good look," added another.

While a third said: "Handled with so much class."

Harriet has since apologised (Instagram/@harriet_dart)

Dart has since apologised for the comment, writing on her social media: “Hey everyone, I want to apologise for what I said on the 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."

The tennis pro has since disabled the comments on her posts.