Joao Lucas Reis handed toughest draw in bid to make gay history at Australian Open
Brazil's Joao Lucas Reis is making his debut in qualifying at Melbourne Park. It’s his second attempt to reach a Grand Slam main draw. The post Joao Lucas Reis handed toughest draw in bid to make gay history at Australian Open appeared first on Outsports.
Mark
Joao Lucas Reis has learned the path that awaits him in Australian Open qualifying, and it couldn’t be more difficult.
In his first career appearance at Melbourne Park, the 25-year-old must navigate through three rounds if he is to be one of 16 qualifiers to enter the main men’s singles draw.
The Brazilian no. 3 is currently ranked 204th in the world, having reached his peak position to date of 187th in November.
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Tennis pro Joao Lucas Reis da Silva is Outsports’ Male Athlete of the Year
After coming out, Brazil tennis pro Joao Lucas Reis da Silva has climbed the ATP rankings as he seeks his goal of a Grand Slam event.
Reis has made a remarkable ascent since coming out publicly as gay in December 2024, when he was just outside the top 400. His attempt to reach the US Open last summer was a historic first for an out gay man in Grand Slam qualifying.
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His first opponent in Melbourne will be 21-year-old Henrique Rocha of Portugal, who is ranked 157th. Theirs will be the third match on Court 16, late Sunday.
It’s a tough proposition in itself, and it would get tougher still, with the winner facing Argentina’s Marco Trungelliti (130th) or — on home turf — Australian wildcard Philip Sekulic, whose highest career world ranking is 225.
Moreover, in Reis’ section of the qualifying draw is top seed Yannick Hanfmann of Germany, the former world no. 45 who is now ranked just outside the top 100 ATP players. Hanfmann’s presence means it couldn’t be a sterner test.
The support shown by fans for Reis reflects the fact that having an out gay man playing in the main singles draw of a Grand Slam would be a major step forward for LGBTQ representation in professional sports.
Yet for the Brazilian, who was named Outsports Male Athlete of the Year for 2025 in recognition of his rapid rise and a first ATP Challenger tournament win in Santa Fe, Argentina, the focus has to be on improvement, not anything bigger.
However, there is no denying that his performances are a great advert for being your authentic self in sports.
“A tennis player already has a lot of pressure and things going through their mind… the simpler your day-to-day life is, the better you can handle things on the court,” he said last year.
Crucially, he doesn’t appear in any way burdened by the weight of representation, something he also now shares in men’s pro tennis with 21-year-old Swiss prospect Mika Brunold, who came out as gay late last year.
Ultimately for Reis at the Australian Open, the ambition is really straightforward — to put in strong performances against difficult opponents.
If he keeps delivering on that in Grand Slam qualifying, the carrot of playing in a main draw will get closer and closer.
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The post Joao Lucas Reis handed toughest draw in bid to make gay history at Australian Open appeared first on Outsports.
