On Saturday, Dec. 7, 24-year-old professional tennis player João Lucas Reis da Silva did the most normal thing anyone does these days. He posted a selfie of the couple on Instagram.
Since it was my partner's birthday, I posted a sweet merry-go-round posing by the water in Rio de Janeiro. “I love you so much,” he wrote. The post made him the first active professional male tennis player to come out as gay, but he was simply wishing his partner a happy birthday.
“I wasn't thinking anything…I just wanted to post a picture with him,” Reis da Silva said. The Athletic On Sunday, from Sao Paulo, he gave his first international interview since inadvertently making tennis history.
About an hour earlier, he defeated Daniel Dutra da Silva 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 to win the tournament for the first time in four years, the Procopio Cup and the Rio Open. He had qualified for the preliminary round. , an ATP 500 event he played the past two years. Not a bad few days for the world No. 367.
“It was a crazy week, but in the end it was perfect,” he said. After two long breaks due to injury, the 24-year-old said he was playing the best tennis of his life in recent years, reaching the semi-finals of a tournament in Chile before winning the title in Sao Paulo. Even as he felt the tennis world paying attention to him in a way it had never seen before.
“I didn't feel any pressure,” he said. “I was happy. My boyfriend was here with me. He supported me. My whole team was here.”
The women's tennis tour features a number of openly gay athletes, including Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, two of the all-time greats who won 98 Grand Slam singles and doubles titles. I've done it.
This has never been the case in men's tennis. Bill Tilden, an American tennis star who dominated the tennis world in the 1920s, never spoke publicly about his sexuality except in his 1948 book, My Story: A Champion's Memoirs. Brian Vahari, who played in the 2000s and reached a career-high world No. 57, and Bobby Blair, who toured in the 1980s, came out after retiring from professional tennis.
Reis da Silva said Sunday that he told his family and friends that he was gay five years ago. “Before that, it was tough,” he explained.
“I couldn't talk much about myself to my coaches or friends. When I tried to love myself, it was something different. It changed my life, including my relationships with my parents and coaches. changed everything.”
Over a year ago, Reis da Silva fell in love with Brazilian actor and model Gui Sampaio Ricardo. Then, as Ricardo's birthday approached in 2024, Reis da Silva did his 24th job.
“I was like, 'Oh my god, it's my boyfriend's birthday today. Happy birthday. I love you.' And boom!
“I didn't think anything of it because it was normal for me.”
Messages and support began to arrive from notable figures inside and outside the tennis world. Brazilian music star Lulu Santos sent him a message. Thiago Monteiro, currently number one on the Brazilian national team, added a heart emoji to his post. He received a “like” from Diego Hipolito, a gay Brazilian gymnast who won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
And just like that, this little-known athlete from Recife, a coastal city in northeastern Brazil, became a sporting and cultural icon. He said while he expected some negative reactions, the response was “99.9% positive.”
“I'm really happy that people respect me and people pay attention to me and admire me,” he said.
Joao Lucas Reis da Silva aims to win the Procopio Cup held in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Joan Pires/Photojump)
In an interview with the Telegraph in 2018, Bahari said he had heard homophobic comments from other players in the dressing room, describing it as “part of the culture”. He added, “I hope the time has come for me to say 'congratulations' and to move on to the next step soon.” The fact that people are defined by their sexuality is something we have to overcome. ”
Reis da Silva (who will become USTA president starting in 2025) said he was aware of Bahari's recognition at the U.S. Open when someone at the gym said something offensive to him. I remember hearing that.
“I heard a lot of things in the locker room and at tournaments that were concerning,” he said.
“But when I started telling everyone that I was gay and people found out, they stopped saying things like that. When you have a gay person around you, you respect that person more.” They stop making petty comments,” Reis da Silva said.
“Maybe it'll be a big thing to stop it. If people see there's a gay man at the top, things might change. People might stop saying things that shouldn't hurt people. .”
Alisson van Uytvanck, the recently retired former world No. 37 who is married to physiotherapist Emily Vermeilen, said she never received any negative comments in the locker room. Van Uytbank said in an interview earlier this year. The Athletic He said it was “in some ways surprising” that there were still no active male players on the ATP Tour.
“If only one player is open about it, like a top 100 player, it would be easy for other players to become open.”
even deeper
'I can breathe a little more now': Alison van Uytbank on life after tennis and Grand Slam anxiety
Reis da Silva said it would have made a big difference for him to see role models in the sport.
“When I was 16 or 15, I had a hard time accepting myself.
“Maybe if someone had played by saying, 'I'm gay, I'm here, I'm playing in big tournaments,' it would have been easier to accept myself and love myself. That's what I said. People said they look up to me. That I inspire people. So it's a big deal for me and for them.
“I have no problem being remembered as a great gay tennis player,” he said.
“I know there will be a lot of attention on me.”
Born into a family that played tennis, Reis da Silva started hitting balls at the age of three. He followed in the footsteps of his older brother, who was six years older, and competed at the junior level. As a child, Reis da Silva was so obsessed with tennis that he would cry when his father told him it was time to go home.
He began competing in national competitions at the age of 10, and at 13 left home for São Paulo, where he lived and practiced for seven years before moving to Rio de Janeiro. Reis da Silva prefers fighting from the baseline rather than rushing to the net, and considers his service return and backhand to be his greatest weapons.
“I love breaking serves,” he said. “I like to stay within the point, be aggressive on my forehand, and make big rallies.”
In addition to South America, he competed in the United States, Europe and Australia, and even played in a Grand Slam as a junior. After his victory in Sao Paulo, he will take a week-long vacation, including a few days off with his girlfriend, in Porto de Galinhas, a beach town known for its natural pools and white sandy beaches. He will then spend Christmas with his girlfriend's family in Goiania, a small city in the center of the country near the capital Brasilia.
João Lucas Reis da Silva hits his signature shot at the 2018 Wimbledon Men's Singles. (Michael Steele/Getty Images)
He will then return to Rio to begin preparations for several Challenger tournaments (one tier below the ATP Tour) leading up to February's South American ATP Tour swing and the Rio Open. His big goals for 2025 are to play in the Roland Garros qualifying tournament and build the tennis life he wants.
“It's an individual sport, so I can become whatever I want to be,'' he said with hope. “Everyone will accept you.”
(Top photo: Joan Pires/Photojump)
