"If there's a gay player the locker room, nothg happens" - Diego Schwartzman, the latt star to support the LGBTQ movement

Contents:

• THE GAY TENNIS PLAYERS SMASHG DOWN BARRIERS AS WIMBLEDON 2023 GETS UNRWAY
• TOP 10 ATHLET WHO ARE RUMORED TO BE GAY
• THERE WILL BE NO OUT GAY MALE TENNIS PLAYERS AT THE U.S. OPEN, YET AGA
• "IF THERE'S A GAY PLAYER THE LOCKER ROOM, NOTHG HAPPENS" - DIEGO SCHWARTZMAN, THE LATT STAR TO SUPPORT THE LGBTQ MOVEMENT
• WHY ARE THERE NO OPENLY GAY ATHLET IN MEN’S PROFSNAL TENNIS?
• FRZ SAYS OPENLY GAY PLAYER WOULD BE ACCEPTED ON ATP TOUR
• TENNIS' LAST TABOO: WHY NO OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYERS?
• TIMELINE: WHY ARE THERE NO OPENLY GAY PLAYERS ELE MEN’S TENNIS?
• WHY ARE THERE NO OPENLY GAY PLAYERS ELE MEN'S TENNIS?

THE GAY TENNIS PLAYERS SMASHG DOWN BARRIERS AS WIMBLEDON 2023 GETS UNRWAY

As a former men’s llegiate tennis player and openly gay member of my team, this qutn nagged at me as I attend the monumental first ever Pri event at the U.S. As a former llegiate tennis player and gay man, this event stck a particularly sensive chord for me.

After all of the homophobia I have personally experienced sports, the panelists and the packed dience gave me so much hope for the future of cln sports.

The trailblazer for gay visibily on the ATP tour scribed himself durg the panel discsn as “an anx guy and an anx tennis player,” statg that his disfort wh his sexual orientatn throughout his life was a signifint ntributor to his anxiety. To me, the fact that Vahaly was even able to make on tour as a closeted gay man the 2000s mak him que an anomaly. The days, top players Roger Ferer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have all publicly stated that they would wele an out gay man to the ATP.

TOP 10 ATHLET WHO ARE RUMORED TO BE GAY

While we now celebrate Kg for her acplishments as a gay rights activist, the sacrific she had to make and terrors that she endured for wantg to be her thentic self after beg outed towards the end of her profsnal tennis reer – nearly 40 years ago – are unjtifiable.

Statistilly speakg, there mt be a man the top 100, 200, 500 or even 1,000 who is gay, right?

Combe that wh gay and bisexual men reprentg a signifintly smaller portn of the populatn than heterosexual men, and the odds of havg one of makg through the ranks growg up and currently beg a profsnal tennis player are slim, no matter how welg players such as Ferer, Djokovic and Murray are 2019. There uld be someone makg their way up the rankgs junrs right now, who hopefully will not be terred om tennis for beg a gay or bisexual man, who will see events such as the U.S Open Pri Event, and feel enuraged to pursue tennis profsnally. As Rippon highlighted, g out and beg labeled as “that gay athlete” is not easy to al wh.

THERE WILL BE NO OUT GAY MALE TENNIS PLAYERS AT THE U.S. OPEN, YET AGA

On a prsg note, the event will once aga have no out male players, not a surprise sce there are no out gay or bi men on the tour.

The historic nature of that many out players is not lost on Nick Lee, a former llege tennis player at Vassar who is openly gay and who was stmental pilg this list. As for the men’s si, we have wrten at length about the absence of out male players (the bt theory as to why me om a gay former llege player), but at least there are LGBTQ alli among top men’s players.

“I don’t thk ’s really a taboo, but I’ve seen qutns before about why there aren’t any openly gay men on the tour, and I jt wanted to kd of voice my support that general area. Wimbledon 2023 is officially unrway – weather permtg – but spe the All England Club’s all-whe le, there are a handful of out gay players offerg some val rabow LGBTQ+ reprentatn at tennis’s most prtig tournament.

"IF THERE'S A GAY PLAYER THE LOCKER ROOM, NOTHG HAPPENS" - DIEGO SCHWARTZMAN, THE LATT STAR TO SUPPORT THE LGBTQ MOVEMENT

Sce the days of trailblazg gay Grand Slam champns Billie Jean Kg and Marta Navratilova, women’s tennis has long provid some of the biggt LGBTQ+ nam sport – and there are currently several players Women’s Tennis Associatn (WTA) tour rryg that torch for a new generatn.

However, the men’s Associatn of Tennis Profsnals (ATP) isn’t currently jt laggg behd, ’s yet to even cross the startg le: There are currently no out gay players on the men’s tour and no profsnal male tennis player has e out publicly the Open Era while still playg the game.

Amerin former world number 57 Brian Vahaly me out publicly as gay 2017, a after retirg om the sport, and shed light on some of the barriers faced by gay male players. Amerin former world number 57 Brian Vahaly me out publicly as gay 2017, a after retirg om tennis. In 2022, men’s top 10 player and former Wimbledon quarter-falist Taylor said he believed an out gay male player would be “accepted” on the tour, but as Wimbledon rolls around for another, the wa go on.

WHY ARE THERE NO OPENLY GAY ATHLET IN MEN’S PROFSNAL TENNIS?

In the meantime, here’s a n-down of the out gay women’s players to look out for the Wimbledon 2023 ma draws – as well as a few others who aren’t makg an appearance at SW19 this year, but are still reprentg for the LGBTQ+ muny on the tour. Rsia’s Daria Kasatka says she’s unable to return home as a gay person who oppos the vasn of Ukrae. Rsian tennis star Daria Kasatka beme the hight-profile out gay tennis star on the WTA tour when she me out publicly July 2022.

In the year sce, Kasatka has been an outspoken cric of Rsia’s vasn of Ukrae and anti-gay polil culture – even if ’s e at great personal st.

As a gay person who oppos the war, ’s not possible to go back, ” she told The Tim July 2023.

FRZ SAYS OPENLY GAY PLAYER WOULD BE ACCEPTED ON ATP TOUR

I wanted to say my posn on the war and my [sexualy], which was tough, g om a untry where beg gay is not accepted, but felt like I had a backpack of ston on my shoulrs and I jt had to throw off.

TENNIS' LAST TABOO: WHY NO OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYERS?

Schuurs me out as gay as a teenager and has stated her sire to be a role mol for young LGBTQ+ people. “You only live once, so you have to be happy and don’t need to strs about beg gay or not. Out gay Brish player Tara Moore is a former world 145 player sgl and former top 100 player doubl.

The sportg world hasn't been ignorant of the discsn, and many athlet the recent past have found themselv fortable enough to e out as gay or lbian.

TIMELINE: WHY ARE THERE NO OPENLY GAY PLAYERS ELE MEN’S TENNIS?

Unlike several other sports, where homosexual athlet have received ser backlash and threats, tennis has been largely open and non-homophobic. Raymond has been quoted as sayg: "I me out bee I knew that there would be life after tennis, and beg gay and playg tennis is not a big al.

The most famo homosexual tennis player recent tim, Amelie Mrmo has been there, done that. The purpose of this list is to go a b more pth about some of the mors that are surroundg the players, not to nvce the rear that the athlet are gay.

In fact, as society is now much more open to people no matter their orientatn, we have seen a ton more athlet, both active and retired, e out and adm that they are homosexuals, and 's absolutely a great thg.

WHY ARE THERE NO OPENLY GAY PLAYERS ELE MEN'S TENNIS?

This list will look at some of the most high profile exampl of pro athlet who have had mors about beg gay surroundg them, but aga, none of those are nfirmed and even if they were nfirmed, they would be somethg to celebrate. His ex-wife has acced him of beg gay and that Dunn’s lover om llege actually lived wh them for the first few years of their marriage.

This mor was that a member of the New York Mets was gay and people were speculatg that was Piazza.

Qutns about Aikman's sexual orientatn have been around for s and the mor was started by Skip Bayls, when, his book, he stated that Troy Aikman might be gay. The most tellg sign of the lack of out gay men profsnal tennis is that the only player wearg any rabow apparel this summer was a straight guy who had to apologize for g gay slurs durg the Olympics. Open starts s two-week n New York, I feel pelled to rehash this prsg statistic: There will once aga be no openly gay male players at one of the sport’s premier events.