Landmark achievement for LGBTQ+ tennis community as 24-year-old ATP star Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva comes out as gay, shares pictures with boyfriend

Brazilian tennis player Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva recently came out as gay, sharing endearing pictures of himself with his boyfriend on social media. The player’s move is historic, considering he is the first active male player to do so.

Reis Da Silva, a 24-year-old tennis player from Brazil, has a singles career-high ranking of No. 259. In doubles, he’s been ranked as high as No. 209. The player, who has two Futures titles to his name, most recently competed at the Challengers event in Temuco, Chile, in November and is now spending some downtime with his close ones ahead of the 2025 season.

A few days ago, Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva shared a sweet post on Instagram, celebrating his boyfriend, drama actor Gui Sampaio Ricardo’s birthday.

"Happy Birthday. Happy Life. I love you very much," Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva wrote, putting a spotlight on their relationship.

His partner responded in kind.

"Te amo (I love you)," Gui Sampaio Ricardo wrote.

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In light of Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva's revelation, what Martina Navratilova and Taylor Fritz said about lack of openly gay tennis players

Daria Kasatkina (L) pictured with her girlfriend Natalia at Cincinnati Open 2024 - Image Source: Getty

While Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva is the first active male player to reveal his homosexuality, many female tennis players have announced theirs over the years, with the likes of Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, and Amelie Mauresmo being some of the biggest names to come out.

In 2022, World No. 9 Daria Kasatkina opened up about her sexuality and announced her relationship with Olympic figure skater Natalia Zabiiako. Just weeks later, the couple posed together celebrating the tennis player’s Citi Open win. 18-time Grand Slam singles champion Navratilova, who came out in 1981, during her prime years, reacted to the sweet moment. She also pointed out the lack of openly gay players.

"Yes I did 41 years ago, still no men though," she said on X, responding to a fan.

The same year, Taylor Fritz also commented on the lack of male homosexual players.

"I’m not sure if there are homosexual tennis players in the top 100. I don’t know. Maybe people think behind closed doors we know or something. Statistically speaking, there should be," he in an interview with CLAY.

The American opined that if any player were to come out, he wouldn’t have to worry about being “accepted.”

"I think it’s odd, because I feel like a player would be accepted. Myself and my friends, other players on tour wouldn’t have any issues with it," he claimed, adding, "Maybe people just don’t want to be in the spotlight."

Meanwhile, Argentine women’s tennis player Nadia Podoroska, who is also openly gay, touched on the potential “difficulties” men could face due to seeming stereotypes.

"It is much more difficult for men because they are much more annoyed by other men. The one who doesn’t talk much, the one who is shy, people immediately say 'he’s gay,'" she told CLAY.