Rising Swiss tennis player Mika Brunold comes out as gay
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Swiss tennis player Mika Brunold has publicly come out as gay, making him only the second active male player on the ATP Tour to do so. The 21-year-old rising star shared the news in an Instagram post on Saturday, saying he was “proud of who I am today”.
Brunold, currently ranked 312th in the world and a former top-300 player, wrote that success in tennis is “not just about physical skill - it’s about discovering your personality and staying true to yourself”. He explained that hiding his identity was never an option, despite the challenges of being an LGBTQ+ athlete in professional sport.
“Being gay doesn’t just mean loving the same gender — it also means dealing with things most people never have to think about,” Brunold said in his post. “The fear of not being accepted, the pressure to stay quiet, the feeling of being different. But I’ve grown. And I’m proud of who I am today.”
Brunold has enjoyed a breakthrough season on the Challenger Tour and came close to qualifying for the Swiss Indoors in Basel last month, narrowly losing to former world No. 62 Reilly Opelka in a three-set thriller. His announcement follows Brazilian player João Lucas Reis da Silva, who became the first openly gay male tennis professional last year.
The Swiss star’s decision has been met with widespread support from fans, fellow players, and sporting bodies. Former world No. 1 Kim Clijsters and Swiss compatriots Viktorija Golubic and Leandro Riedi were among those to send messages of encouragement. Brunold hopes his openness will help normalise conversations about sexuality in sport, stating: “In an ideal world, we wouldn’t even need to ‘come out’ at all.”
