Gay tennis players male
We love the visibility these sports pros bring to the court
BY LARA IQBAL GILLING, IMAGES BY HAMELTION, (WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
The only two openly gay men to compete in elite-level tennis were active before World War Two. Gottfried von Cramm was a multiple grand slam winner, but was arrested for being gay in Nazi Germany. Bill Tilden won six US National Championships in a row and won Wimbledon three times too.
João Lucas Reis da Silva was the first active male tennis player to arrive out as gay. In December last year, he shared photos on social media for his boyfriend’s birthday on social media.
Despite this lack of gay representation in men’s tennis, many publicly queer women participate in the women’s game, dating back to Billie Jean King.
The tennis star is a 20th century lesbian icon. She was outed when she was sued by her former partner Marilyn Barnett in , making her the first openly gay female athlete of her celebrity. At the height of her career, she was ranked at number one. Although being outed led to her losing financial backing, she became
Tennis star, 24, becomes the first active men's player in history to reach out as gay with social media post about his model boyfriend
Joao Lucas Reis has made history to become the first openly gay active professional male tennis player.
The world No came out publicly on social media in honour of his boyfriend Gui Sampaio Ricardo's birthday, sharing photos of the paid with a sweet message announcing their relationship status.
'Happy birthday. Happy life,' the year-old Brazilian captioned the photoset of himself and the actor and model. 'I devotion you so much.'
Although a world away from the lofty profile top players in the ATP rankings, Reis' send 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 , 10 years after calling second on his career.
Part of his decision to wait, he told the Telegraph in , came down to perceived homophobia on the tour.
Joao Lucas Reis (left) has become the first active men's player in tennis hi
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 book point out, only two openly gay men hold played at an elite level, both before World War II, according to the book, A People’s History of Tennis by journalist David Berry. The first, Gottfried (Baron) von Cramm, a German aristocrat noted for his gentlemanly conduct and adj play, won the and French Adj before the German government arrested him in 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 on Sunset Boulevard by the Beverly Hills police for having sex with an underage male. Tilden was sentenced to a year in prison, served
Why are there no known gay tennis players on the ATP? &#;Maybe there are, but they are afraid, this is a macho sport&#;.
PARIS &#; There is one thing that separates the WTA from the ATP, one aspect in which they are very different: on the women&#;s tennis tour there are players who are openly lesbian. In the men&#;s tennis tour, no player has verb out as gay in recent years. Why?
&#;Because tennis is a very masculine sport, very macho,&#; says Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas in an interview with CLAY. &#;Maybe there is still a bit of scare, there is that fear. Maybe there are players who are afraid, they live repressed, and it&#;s terrible for a person to live like that,&#; added the world number
Fear? Varillas&#; statement brings back memories of CLAY&#;s interview with Taylor Fritz, in which the American addressed a topic that is virtually never talked about in men&#;s tennis.
&#;I&#;m not sure if there are gay tennis players in the top I don&#;t know. Maybe people think that behind closed doors we know. Statistically speaking, there should be. Statistically. But not that I k