Gay tennis player João Lucas Reis da Silva to make history at Australian Open

Brazilian tennis player João Lucas Reis da Silva is set to make history again, this time at the Australian Open. 

Silva, who arrived in Melbourne this week, made history in late 2024 when he came out as gay by sharing a sweet snap of his partner Gui Sampaio Ricardo to celebrate his birthday.

The 25-year-old then became the first out gay tennis pro to compete in a Grand Slam event.

He is now set to continue making history by competing in the qualifying rounds of this year’s Australian Open as the first gay man to do so. 

At the time of his coming out, Silva was ranked outside the Top 400 in the world. Since then, he has climbed more than 200 spots to a career-high ranking of No. 187 in the world, and in June last year he won his first ATP Challenger title in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 

In order to qualify for the Australian Open, Silva must win three matches to make the main draw. Even if he loses in the first round of qualifying, he will be paid at least Aus$40,500 (£20.2k/$27k). 

Silva’s impact is undeniable, with Tony Hagen from the Gay Tennis Podcast telling QNews in August last year: “It marks a significant step towards greater LGBTQIA+ representation and acceptance.

“In men’s tennis, openly gay athletes have been extremely rare. His participation helps break down stigma and pushes the sport toward greater inclusivity and diversity.”

His openness has helped pave the way for other players to come out. 

In December last year, Switzerland’s Mika Brunold came out as gay in a heartwarming message posted to Instagram.

He shared that he decided to share his statement with the world “to take a step for myself, but also because I think it’s not talked about enough in sports”. 

Brunold added that in an “ideal world” no one would need to “come out at all”. 

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