ATP ATP Challenger Tour Joao Lucas Reis da Silva

The heartfelt message from Brunold to Reis da Silva for helping him come out of the closet

Pedro de Pablos - 13 Sep 2026
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Brunold thanks Reis da Silva for inspiring him to reveal his homosexuality. Source: Getty Images.

A very emotional moment occurred after the Challenger final in Tulln between Mika Brunold and Joao Lucas Reis da Silva. After the Swiss player won the final, he wanted to thank the Brazilian for coming out as gay a year ago, as that was a great inspiration for him to take the step by the end of 2025, and he believes it can set a precedent for more people to feel encouraged and not hide their sexuality for fear of being rejected.

 

 

"Congratulations on this great week to you and your team. Your level was very high, and I struggled during the final. I also wanted to thank you because a year ago you revealed you were gay and were a great inspiration to me. I am very proud of us because we can be a role model for many people who have issues with their sexuality," Brunold stated. These words can help many people stop viewing these cases as taboo, as they are not very common in tennis.

Reis da Silva, the first tennis player to reveal his homosexuality

As for the final itself, Brunold capped off his great week with a convincing victory over Reis da Silva by 6-4 6-3. He has barely dropped a set throughout the tournament, and the 21-year-old Swiss player has secured his best ATP ranking starting this Monday as the 257th in the world. However, what matters most today is not that result but his subsequent speech to give voice to this topic.

A year ago, Reis da Silva became the first active tennis player to reveal his homosexuality, and he gave an interview to 'The Athletic' to discuss this. "I told my family I was gay five years ago, before that, it was very tough. I couldn’t tell my coaches and friends. When I started to love myself, it was something different. It changed my life, changed everything, the relationship with my parents and with my coaches", he revealed. This decision has helped people like Brunold to be brave and step forward, and he has let him know this.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El emotivo mensaje de Brunold a Reis da Silva por ayudarle a salir del armario