João Lucas Reis da Silva Becomes First ATP Tennis Player To Come Out

December 11, 2024
ALEXANDER

João Lucas Reis da Silva Becomes First ATP Tennis Player To Come Out

João Lucas Reis da Silva seems to be the first ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) tennis player to come out as gay! The athlete posted pictures of him and his boyfriend on social media, causing quite a stir!

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A post shared by João Lucas Reis (@joaolreis)

In the caption, João Lucas wishes his hunky boyfriend, Gui Sampaio Ricardo, a happy anniversary and wrote "te amo muito," which translates to "love you lots." Are we jealous? Maybe just a little.

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A post shared by ATP Challenger Tour (@atpchallengertour)

The only other out pro tennis player is Brian Vahaly, who came out a full ten years after retiring from the sport.

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João Lucas hails from Brazil and currently ranks 11th in his country. He started playing tennis professionally in 2016.

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A post shared by João Lucas Reis (@joaolreis)

His boyfriend is a singer and stage actor. He most recently appeared on stage in a production of Bent, about the persecution of gay men in 1930s Germany. In the following Instagram post, João Lucas wrote “I love you” and “all my pride.”

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A post shared by Gui Sampaio Ricardo (@guisampaioricardo)

Tennis remains a widely conservative sport and João Lucas' post is a step towards queer representation in the field. He did not explicitly say he was gay, but his simple love-filled post is more than enough.

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A post shared by João Lucas Reis (@joaolreis)

João Lucas is 24 years old and his career is on the upward trajectory. Undoubtedly, we will be seeing more of this tennis player in the spotlight. This week, he competes in the Procopio Cup in Sao Paulo, a pre-qualifying tournament for the Rio Open in February of next year.

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A post shared by João Lucas Reis (@joaolreis)

João Lucas won the ATP Challenger doubles title at the 2023 Challenger de Santiago with Pedro Boscardin Dias.

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A post shared by João Lucas Reis (@joaolreis)

Hopefully, his coming out will encourage other closeted athletes to come forward and celebrate their sexuality. Queer representation in sports continues to grow as recognized at this year's Olympics with the most out queer competitors in the history of the Games.