Gay tennis players male
Britain’s Liam Broady says he understands the difficulties any player who is male lover in men’s tennis might experience but he hopes they would still be able to be their authentic selves.
At present, there are no openly male lover players on the men’s Tour and historically there possess been few in the past. Former top 100 player Brian Vahaly came out after retiring from the sport and spoke at length about his journey with Ubitennis. 10-time Grand Slam champion Bill Tilden struggled with his sexuality during a moment when gay sex was illegal and not accepted by society.
The situation is the polar antonym of the women’s Tour where the likes of Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King became some of the first athletes in the world to come out as gay. Meanwhile, planet No.8 Daria Kasatkina came out last year and is in a bond with former figure skater Natalia Zabiiako.
“A football player (Jakub Jankto) came out recently, which is good,” Broady said during an interview with Clay Magazine. “Hopefully it starts to develop favor this and more and more people feel comfortable.”
Broady played at the Australian Open earlier this year wearing rainbow laces which are based on an i
Tennis star, 24, becomes the first active men's player in history to come out as homosexual with social media post about his model boyfriend
Joao Lucas Reis has made history to get the first openly gay active professional male tennis player.
The society No 401 came out publicly on social media in honour of his boyfriend Gui Sampaio Ricardo's birthday, sharing photos of the paid with a lovely message announcing their relationship status.
'Happy birthday. Happy life,' the 24-year-old Brazilian captioned the photoset of himself and the actor and model. 'I love you so much.'
Although a world away from the high profile top 100 players in the ATP rankings, Reis' post has nonetheless broken down barriers in a sport where a male player has never publicly affirmed his sexuality during his active career.
Most recently, American former world No 64 Brian Vahaly came out in 2017, 10 years after calling time on his career.
Part of his decision to wait, he told the Telegraph in 2018, came down to perceived homophobia on the tour.
Joao Lucas Reis (left) has become the first active men's player in tennis history to publicly come out as gay
The Brazilian player is ranked 401st in t
Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva: Tennis player first active male professional to approach out publicly
Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva of Brazil has become the first active male pro player to show up out publicly.
The 24-year-old shared a series of photos with actor and model Gui Sampaio Ricardo on Instagram.
He captioned the images: "Happy birthday. Happy existence. I love you so much."
Da Silva is currently ranked 401th in singles on the ATP Tour having reached a career-high of 259 last May.
He reached the semi-finals of the Temuco Challenger in Chile last month and was a finalist at his place Florianopolis Challenger earlier this year.
Former planet No 64 Brian Vahaly came out as gay in 2017, 10 years after retiring from the sport, and the American shed light on some of the barriers faced by homosexual male players.
"I listen
Where are the Gay Men in Tennis?
While many tour players may lend an encouraging word and the ATP has support programs, one thing neither can necessarily provide is an actively playing — or even actively on tour — mentor. As far as the records novel indicate, only two openly gay men have played at an elite level, both before World War II, according to the book, A People’s History of Tennis by reporter David Berry. The first, Gottfried (Baron) von Cramm, a German aristocrat noted for his gentlemanly actions and fair play, won the 1934 and 1936 French Open before the German government arrested him in 1938 for having a gay affair with a Jewish actor. He was jailed for six months before marrying a heiress, facing down a ban from Wimbledon after the incident, being conscripted by the German Army and unwillingly fighting in World War II.
The second, Bill Tilden, an American, won 14 Major singles titles, including 10 Grand Slams,before he was arrested in November 1946 on Sunset Boulevard by the Beverly Hills police for having sex with an underage male. Tilden was sentenced to a year in prison, served seven months and received five-year parole conditions so strict that they virtu