Joao Lucas Reis da Silva: The first ATP tennis player to declare himself a homosexual

A pioneer in tennis

Joao Lucas Reis da Silva, at 24, has become the first professional tennis player from the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) to openly declare his homosexuality.

Photo: Instagram - Joao Lucas Reis da Silva

Instagrammer subtlety

The tennis player, ranked 367 in the ATP individual rankings, has not stated this explicitly, but has made it clear implicitly on Instagram.

Photo: Instagram - Joao Lucas Reis da Silva

"Happy anniversary"

"Happy anniversary. Happy life. I love you," the athlete wrote on his Instagram profile, accompanied by a photo with his partner, actor Gui Sampaio Ricardo.

Photo: Instagram - Joao Lucas Reis da Silva

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Couple photos

On his Instagram post, there is not only one photo of the couple, but several that show their daily lives together.

Photo: Instagram - Joao Lucas Reis da Silva

Strong support

Joao Lucas Reis da Silva's statement makes him a pioneer in the sport. Although many other players have supported LGTBIQ+ causes, none have publically come out.

Photo: Instagram - Joao Lucas Reis da Silva

Saudi Arabia

Joao Lucas Reis da Silva made this known around the same time Saudi Arabia entered as one of the main sponsors behind the circuit. Will he run into competitive issues?

Photo: Instagram - Joao Lucas Reis da Silva

A serious crime

In this country, homosexuality is considered a serious crime, and it remains to be seen whether the Brazilian tennis player might have problems playing in the tournaments held there.

Photo: Instagram - Joao Lucas Reis da Silva

Roddick's reflection

Andy Roddick, a former ATP number 1, spoke about this at the time, predicting what could happen now: "Homosexuality is illegal but we have openly gay players, what will happen if they go to play there?"

Not ranked high enough

Well, that question can now be extended to the case of Joao Lucas Reis da Silva, who, although the player is not yet ranked high enough to enter the ATP elite calendar, does appear in the ranking sponsored by IPF, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund.

Photo: Instagram - Joao Lucas Reis da Silva

What if he rises in the ATP rankings?

His best ranking has been 204th in the ATP rankings, and at his age, he could very well climb the rankings in the coming years and enter the major tournaments. It will be interesting to see what happens then.

Photo: Instagram - Joao Lucas Reis da Silva

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