Pride in Tennis: Openly gay wheelchair tennis star Greg Slade hopes his story will empower other gay men in the sport
British wheelchair tennis star Greg Slade says he hopes his decision to come out publicly will encourage other gay men within the sport to feel confident in being themselves, after receiving an overwhelmingly positive reaction to his announcement. The 23‑year‑old Paralympic silver medallist revealed his sexuality in an Instagram post earlier this month, ahead of the Australian Open, making him one of only a handful of openly gay male professional tennis players.
Slade admitted that choosing to come out so publicly was not without anxiety. He said he had moments of doubt about timing, the scale of the announcement, and whether it might impact his preparations for competition. Nevertheless, he has been “hugely heartened” by the response from fans, fellow athletes, and the wider tennis community. According to Slade, thousands of messages, likes and supportive comments far outweighed a very small number of negative reactions.
The wheelchair tennis player, who won silver in the quad doubles at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, said recent coming‑out stories from other players — including Brazil’s João Lucas Reis da Silva and Swiss player Mika Brunold - played a part in encouraging him to make his own announcement. Seeing the support they received helped crystallise his view that sharing his own story could make a difference to others in a similar position.
Slade has also committed to working closely with Pride in Tennis, a British network aimed at increasing visibility and inclusivity for LGBTQ+ people across all levels of the sport. He said the organisation has already done “instrumental” work in improving awareness and representation within tennis, and he hopes his voice can help amplify that progress.
While acknowledging that tennis - and men’s sport more broadly - still has very few openly gay figures, Slade emphasised that he hopes his experience will reassure others considering coming out. His message to players struggling with the decision is one of understanding and solidarity: they should do it only in their own time, he said, but that “the grass really is greener on the other side”.
Slade is currently preparing to compete at the Australian Open Wheelchair Championships, his first Grand Slam tournament since coming out. He says he hopes that, looking back on his career in years to come, he will be proud to have played even a small role in helping make professional tennis a more inclusive place for the next generation.
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