Brazilian Joao Lucas Reis da Silva has become the first professional tennis player in activity to come out. Reis da Silva has decided to send a strong signal to the entire tennis world: with a birthday greeting to his boyfriend, model Gui Sampaio Ricardo, the 24-year-old Brazilian has made his orientation public on Instagram. A gesture to break down barriers and taboos, which seeks to normalize a topic that has always remained latent.
The current number 367 in the ATP ranking, in an interview with The Atletic, talked openly about his orientation and how much it still is a taboo in the world of tennis.
A piece of news that has gone viral on the web, but for the Brazilian tennis player it was a spontaneous way to show his love.
“I thought, ‘Wow, it’s my boyfriend’s birthday. Congratulations, I love you! And all of a sudden, boom, it was so normal for me that I didn’t even think about it,” revealed the South American.
The announcement came at a pretty happy time for Reis Da Silva, who recently won the Procopio Cup, an event that guarantees the winner an invitation to the ATP Rio Open 2025 qualifiers.
“I didn’t feel any kind of pressure. I played happily, my boyfriend was here with me, cheering me on and cheering my team,” he added.
The Brazilian tennis player received many positive and supportive messages, revealing that 99.9% of the responses to his post were positive: “I’m happy that people respect me, that they notice me, maybe even that some admire me.”
A path that hasn’t been easy, especially on tour.
“I couldn’t say too much about who I was to my coaches or my friends. In the locker rooms of some tournaments I would hear things that bothered me, but when I started telling everyone that I’m gay, they stopped saying those things. It’s like when they have someone close to them who is gay, they respect them more and stop saying those disgusting comments,” the 24-year-old commented.
Reis da Silva concluded by encouraging tennis players on theTour to be open about this topic: “When I was 15 or 16, I had a hard time accepting myself. Maybe if there was someone in tennis who said: I’m gay, I’m here, I play the best tournaments, it would have been easier for me to accept myself and love myself.
People told me, they told me that they admire me, that I inspire people, so that’s very important to me. I have no problem being remembered as the great gay tennis player, but I don’t want to talk about it all the time.”
Tennis World USA