We love the visibility these sports pros bring to the court
BY LARA IQBAL GILLING, IMAGES BY HAMELTION, SI.ROBI (WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
The only two openly gay men to compete in elite-level tennis were active before World War Two. Gottfried von Cramm was a multiple grand slam winner, but was arrested for being gay in Nazi Germany. Bill Tilden won six US National Championships in a row and won Wimbledon three times too.
João Lucas Reis da Silva was the first active male tennis player to come out as gay. In December last year, he shared photos on social media for his boyfriend’s birthday on social media.
Despite this lack of gay representation in men’s tennis, many publicly queer women participate in the women’s game, dating back to Billie Jean King.
The tennis star is a 20th century lesbian icon. She was outed when she was sued by her former partner Marilyn Barnett in 1981, making her the first openly gay female athlete of her celebrity. At the height of her career, she was ranked at number one. Although being outed led to her losing financial backing, she became an advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights in sport.
These are some queer women playing at Wimbledon this year:
Daria Kasatkina
Kasatkina made headlines in 2022 when she came out as a lesbian. In October that year she ranked eight worldwide in women’s singles.
As the number one Russian player at the time, she switched to representing Australia this year when she gained citizenship, and ranks first there too.
“It’s unsafe for me now, with the regime we have. As a gay person who opposes the war, it’s not possible to go back [to Russia],” she told The Times in 2023. “But I don’t regret it even one per cent.
“I couldn’t hide any more. I wanted to say my position on the war and my [sexuality], which was tough, coming from a country where being gay is not accepted, but it felt like I had a backpack of stones on my shoulders and I just had to throw it off,” she continued. “Afterwards, I faced a few consequences, but the only thing that worried me was my parents, and they were fine. They are proud of me.”
Kasatkina makes vlogs on YouTube with her fiancée, Olympic figure skater Natalia Zabiiako. They announced their engagement in June.
Greet Minnen
Belgian player Minnen was engaged to her (now-retired) fellow player Alison Van Uytvanck until late 2021. They had fallen in love as teenagers, and publicly revealed their relationship when they kissed on the court after Van Uytvanck won a match in 2016. They played doubles together at Wimbledon in 2019, the first gay couple to ever do so.
Demi Schuurs
The doubles specialist reached the quarter finals at Wimbledon and the semis at the Australian Open. She came out as gay in her teens and has been in a relationship with Carmen Kuijer since 2020.
Schurrs told the WTA: “I remember the feelings I had when I came out, so I want to help younger people understand that they should be how they want to be, and show what they want to show.”
Nadia Podoroska
French Open semi-finalist Podoroska came out in 2022, revealing her relationship with Argentinian player Guillermina Naya through an Instagram post which showed them kissing and hugging.
Billie Jean King congratulated her on coming out by posting on Twitter: “Living authentically takes such courage, but is always worth it.”
Tara Moore
Moore was both a romantic partner and doubles partner to Emina Bektas. The couple met for the first time at a tennis match. They won the 2022 Traralgon International doubles title, and were runners up in the Georgia’s Rome Tennis Open the same year.
They were married, but split, according to reports in 2024.
Fellow tennis player Conny Perrin was also engaged to Moore whilst being her doubles partner. Their relationship ended before Moore and Bektas’s began.
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