Joao Lucas Reis da Silva becomes first out gay male professional tennis player
The Brazilian player has joined the short yet gradually-growing list of out professional queer male athletes
By Dale Fox
Brazilian tennis player João Lucas Reis da Silva has publicly come out as gay, becoming the first active male professional tennis player to do so.
The 24-year-old made the announcement on Instagram, sharing photos with actor and model Gui Sampaio Ricardo to celebrate Ricardo’s birthday.
Reis da Silva captioned the post: “Happy birthday. Happy life. I love you so much.”
Reis da Silva has achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of 259 as of May 2023 and a doubles ranking of 204 as of November 2023. He won his first ATP Challenger doubles title at the 2023 Challenger de Santiago, partnering with Pedro Boscardin Dias.
His announcement marks a significant milestone in professional tennis, a sport where LGBTQ+ representation among male players has been notably absent until now.
Reis da Silva joins list of out gay male athletes
Reis da Silva is the first active male professional tennis player to come out, following former ATP player Brian Vahaly, who came out in 2017 after retiring. While tennis has seen prominent LGBTQ+ representation among female players, male players have historically been less visible.
In football, Jake Daniels of Blackpool FC came out in 2022, becoming the UK’s first active male professional footballer to do so since Justin Fashanu in 1990. Josh Cavallo of Adelaide United, and former Attitude cover star, also came out in 2021, becoming the only openly gay male elite-level professional footballer at the time.
Michael Gunning, a British-Jamaican swimmer, has also been a prominent advocate for LGBTQ+ visibility in sports. Gunning came out as gay in 2018 and has used his platform to speak about his experiences as a Black gay athlete.
In the NFL, Carl Nassib came out as gay in 2021 while actively playing, a moment hailed as a turning point for American football. Similarly, in rugby, Gareth Thomas, a retired Welsh international, came out in 2009 and later became an advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports.