Mailbag: Homosexualy tennis, openly gay ATP players - Sports Illtrated

gay tennis player

The U.S. Open hosted s very first Pri, and out tennis player Nick Lee was there to ask: where are the other gay men?

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THERE ARE NO PUBLICLY OUT GAY PRO MALE TENNIS PLAYERS AND NOBODY REALLY KNOWS WHY

* gay tennis player *

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. As a former llegiate tennis player and gay man, this event stck a particularly sensive chord for me.

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

Gay llege tennis players offer theori as to why no ele pro players are out, wh the solo nature of the sport beg a key. * gay tennis player *

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. 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?

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

There are a handful of out gay tennis players offerg val LGBTQ+ reprentatn at Wimbledon 2023 - but the men's game still lags behd. * gay tennis player *

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. As Rippon highlighted, g out and beg labeled as “that gay athlete” is not easy to al wh.

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. Unlike several other sports, where homosexual athlet have received ser backlash and threats, tennis has been largely open and non-homophobic.

Tennis is arguably one of the world’s most gay-iendly sports.

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Many former champns are openly gay, and those clu the greatt of champns. Here is a list of five homosexual tennis players who have achieved a lot of succs:. 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.

Today, she is an ternatnal lear seekg regnn and equal rights for gays and lbians.

DARIA KASATKA OUT AS GAY AND SPEAKS OUT AGAST RSIAN ATTUS

Prently, Navratilova is volved wh var chari that advote gay and lbian rights. You would never, ever choose this, choose to be gay. The most famo homosexual tennis player recent tim, Amelie Mrmo has been there, done that.

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. “To be hont, I’m somewhat surprised that there still hasn’t been an out active ATP Tour level player, ” said Nick Lee, a former llege tennis player at Vassar who is openly gay.

TOP NAM COME IN SUPPORT OF OPENLY GAY PLAYERS ON THE MEN’S TOUR

The absence of out male pro tennis players is noteworthy a summer that saw the first gay NFL player and gay NHL prospect e out and a rerd number of out LGBTQ Olympians, cludg the most men ever.

Brian Bradley, who is gay and played tennis for Catholic Universy Washgton, D. C., foced on the dividual nature of the sport when tellg Outsports why he thks gay pro tennis players stay closeted. “There are no out gay players on the ATP tour bee most players don’t pick up a racket hop to be a role mol for an entire margalized muny, ” Bradley said.

“It tak a special personaly to both thrive a profsnal sport AND live thentilly as a gay man. For so long gayns has been attributed to weakns — this n alienate a player om g out. “What happens if you’re the the FIRST out gay player?

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

“The g out procs is so nuanced, and I n image the trici that e wh beg gay and playg a profsnal sport.

That closeted player may not have signed up to be the first gay player. But the fear that an out player would be hound by the media has been molished by how quickly the Carl Nassib story fad after the Las Vegas Rairs fensive leman me out as gay June.

I thk “gay male pro tennis player out” would be a story that quickly fas as an obssn a culture where “breakg news” gets old really fast.

5 ACTIVE TENNIS PLAYERS WHO HAVE E OUT AS GAY OR BISEXUAL, FT. DARIA KASATKA & SAMANTHA STOSUR

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.

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

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.

OPENLY GAY PLAYER LENDALE JOHNSON HAILS ROGER FERER, NOVAK DJOKOVIC & ANDY MURRAY FOR THEIR SUPPORT

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. “I heard homophobic ments all the time the locker room – to my face, behd my back. 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.

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.

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

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.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY TENNIS PLAYER

The gay tennis players petg at Wimbledon 2023 .

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