Saturday, December 7, Joao Lucas Reis da Silva, a 24-year-old skilled tennis participant, did about probably the most standard factor somebody does in this day and age. He posted a pair selfie on Instagram.
It was once his spouse’s birthday, so he posted a candy carousel of them posing by way of the H2O in Rio de Janeiro. “I love you so much,” he wrote. The submit made him a trailblazer — the primary out homosexual lively skilled male tennis participant — however he was once simply wishing his spouse a contented birthday.
“I didn’t think about it… I just wanted to post a picture with him,” Reis da Silva instructed The Athletic Sunday from São Paolo, in his first world interview since he inadvertently made himself part of tennis historical past.
About an age previous, he had received a event for the primary hour in 4 years, defeating Daniel Dutra da Silva 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 to raise the Procopio Cup and earn a place within the qualifying on the Rio Distinguishable, the ATP 500 tournament he has performed the month two years. No longer a unholy few days for the arena Negative. 367.
“It’s been a crazy week but in the end it was perfect,” he mentioned. Upcoming two lengthy shock layoffs, the 24-year-old mentioned he has performed the most productive tennis of his age of overdue, attaining the semifinals of a event in Chile sooner than this run to the name in São Paulo. Whilst he felt the tennis global looking at him in some way it by no means had sooner than.
“I didn’t feel pressure,” he mentioned. “I was happy. I had my boyfriend here with me. He was supporting me. My whole team was here.”
The ladies’s tennis excursion has had various out homosexual gamers, together with all-time greats Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, who received 98 Brilliant Slam titles among them throughout singles and doubles.
Males’s tennis has no longer been this fashion. Invoice Tilden, the American megastar who ruled tennis within the Twenties, by no means publicly mentioned his sexuality out of doors of his 1948 store, “My Story: A Champion’s Memoirs.” Brian Vahaly, who performed within the 2000s and reached a career-high of worldwide Negative. 57, and Bobby Blair, on excursion within the Eighties, got here out then that they had retired from skilled tennis.
Reis da Silva mentioned Sunday that he instructed his population and buddies that he was once homosexual 5 years in the past. “Before that, it was tough,” he defined.
“I couldn’t say too much about myself to my coaches, to my friends. When I tried to love myself, that was something different. It changed my life, changed everything, the relationship with my parents, with my coaches.”
Over a 12 months in the past, Reis da Silva fell in love with Gui Sampaio Ricardo, a Brazilian actor and style. Upcoming Ricardo’s birthday rolled round for 2024, and Reis da Silva did what 24-year-olds do.
“I was like, ‘Oh my god, it’s my boyfriend’s birthday. Like happy birthday. I love you.’ And then, boom!
“It was so normal for me that I didn’t think about it.”
Messages and help from bulky names outside and inside the tennis global started to roll in. Lulu Santos, a large tune megastar in Brazil, despatched him a message. Thiago Monteiro, Brazil’s tide Negative. 1, added center emojis to the submit. He were given a like from Diego Hypolito, a homosexual Brazilian gymnast who received a silver medal on the Rio Olympics in 2016.
Similar to that, this in large part unknown participant from Recife, a coastal town in Brazil’s northeast nook, had turn into a sports activities and cultural icon. He mentioned he anticipated to obtain some adverse reactions, however the responses had been “99.9 percent positive.”
“I’m really happy that people respect me, that people look at me, admire me maybe,” he mentioned.
Joao Lucas Reis da Silva on his technique to profitable the Procopio Cup in São Paolo, Brazil. (Joao Pires / Photojump)
Talking in an interview with The Telegraph in 2018, Vahaly mentioned that he heard homophobic feedback from alternative gamers within the storehouse room, describing it as “part of the culture.” He added that he was hoping for a hour when “we can say, ‘Congratulations,’ and then quickly move on. For people to be defined by their sexuality is what we need to get past.”
Reis da Silva, who mentioned he was once acutely aware of Vahaly being venerated by way of the U.S. Distinguishable (he’s going to be USTA president starting in 2025), recollects being 18 and listening to any individual pronouncing one thing offensive within the fitness center.
“In the locker rooms and at tournaments I used to hear some things that kind of bothered me,” he mentioned.
“But when I started to tell everyone that I’m gay and these people knew about it, they stopped saying these things. It’s like when they have someone close to them that is gay, they respect them more. They stop doing sh**** comments,” Reis da Silva mentioned.
“Maybe that’s a big thing to stop it — if people see someone in the top that is gay, things can change. People might stop saying things they shouldn’t that hurt people.”
Alison Van Uytvanck, the just lately retired former global Negative. 37 who’s married to physio Emilie Vermeiren, mentioned that she by no means won any adverse feedback within the storehouse room. In an interview previous this 12 months, Van Uytvanck instructed The Athletic that “it is kind of surprising“ that the ATP Tour was yet to have an out, active male player.
“If only one player, like a top 100 player, would be open about it, it would be easier for others to open up.”
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Reis da Silva mentioned visual a job style within the game would have made a profusion extra to him.
“When I was 16, 15, I had problems accepting myself.
“Maybe if I had had someone playing saying, ‘I’m gay, I’m here, I’m competing for the big tournaments,’ it would have been easier for me to accept myself and to love myself. People have told me that. People told me that they admire me. That I inspire people. So it’s a big deal for me and them.
“I don’t have a problem with being remembered as the great gay tennis player,” he mentioned, “but I don’t want to talk about that every time, you know?
“I know there will be a lot of attention on me.”
Born right into a tennis-playing population, Reis da Silva mentioned he started hitting balls when he was once 3. He adopted within the footsteps of his brother, who’s six years used and who competed on the youth degree. As a slight boy, Reis da Silva was once so obsessive about tennis that he would shout when his father instructed him it was once hour to travel house.
He started to compete nationally at 10, resignation house at 13 for São Paulo, the place he lived and educated for seven years sooner than he moved to Rio de Janeiro. Reis da Silva prefers to struggle from the baseline, instead than quicken the online, and he charges his provider go back and his backhand as his largest guns.
“I love to break serves,” he mentioned. “I like to stay there in the point and be aggressive in my forehand and play big rallies.”
He has competed during the U.S., Europe and Australia along with South The us, gambling the Brilliant Slams as a youth. Upcoming the win in São Paulo, he plans to hurry a presen off, together with a couple of days of leisure together with his boyfriend in Porto de Galinhas, the seashore the town identified for its herbal swimming pools and white sand. He’s going to after spend Christmas together with his boyfriend’s population in Goiania, a petite town within the heart of the rustic alike the capital, Brasilia.
Joao Lucas Reis da Silva hitting his favourite shot right through the Wimbledon boys’ singles in 2018. (Michael Steele / Getty Pictures)
Upcoming that, he’s going to go back to Rio to start out arrangements for some Challenger tournaments (one rung underneath the ATP Excursion) that supremacy into the South American ATP Excursion swing in February and the Rio Distinguishable. His bulky purpose for 2025 is to play games within the qualifying event for Roland Garros — and to assemble the tennis age he needs.
“It’s an individual sport, so you can be whatever you want,” he mentioned confidently. “Everybody will accept you.”
(Lead photograph: Joao Pires / Photojump)
