The first openly gay men's tennis player wants to make the sport more welcoming to queer athletes

NBC News

a day ago

In his second act, Vahaly has held senior executive positions at Washington, D.C.-based venture capital and investment management firms. But about five years after stepping away from tennis, he was asked to serve on the USTA's board. 'As I was learning who I was, I didn't feel like tennis was a safe space for me, so I said no. Fortunately, the guy who was recruiting me knew me quite well and knew how to tap into my competitive side,' Vahaly recalled with a laugh.
'When you don't see people before you as a potential role model, it's hard to know, as a gay athlete and man, whether the organization — or a sport more broadly — would be comfortable with you in a leadership position,' he added. 'When I came on, I was very guarded. Most board members for me were significantly older, often talking to me about their daughters. I just played it quiet and focused on where I thought I could make an impact, which was really on the player development side of the house.'
Women's tennis has historically had many openly gay players — including King, Navratilova and most recently Russian-born Australian Daria Kasatkina. But only one men's player has followed in Vahaly's footsteps: Brazil's Joao Lucas Reis da Silva, who reached a career high of No. 234 last month.
While there is now greater cultural acceptance of the LGBTQ community, Vahaly pointed out there are still a number of factors preventing male players — like his younger self — from wanting to come out, including the potential financial fallout from sponsors and the reality that the tour still travels to countries where being gay is neither legal nor accepted.
'The new generation thinks about inclusion and about being themselves so differently than my generation, so I'm hopeful that [homophobic] language starts to fall away a little bit, that people in our community feel accepted into sport,' he said. 'Once we start to build the numbers, you'll start to see those athletes making it up to the pro tour.'
Now, as an LGBTQ leader in sports, Vahaly still faces some casual homophobia. 'There are still rooms where my profile is shared, but they leave out the fact that I'm gay or I'm a dad,' he said. But, 'sometimes, shouting from the rooftops your beliefs or being really firm and in your face is not the right approach.'
'Those are tough rooms, sometimes, when people aren't used to seeing a gay family, but I think humanizing people in our community is actually what drives us forward,' he continued. 'I'm not trying to push something down anybody's throat. I'm simply trying to show how and why we're actually not that different. I think that allows the space for people to be open to diversity and inclusion.'
Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has targeted diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and rolled back legal protections for LGBTQ people, particularly those who are transgender. In response to the current political climate, Vahaly said he is 'less' focused on 'what's happening around us' and more focused on how he can use the U.S. Open to amplify the work of LGBTQ organizations such as The Trevor Project, Athlete Ally, You Can Play and the Gay and Lesbian Tennis Alliance. (The Grand Slam will host its fifth annual Open Pride day on Aug. 28.)
'I think about what I can do and what I can control,' Vahaly said. 'What I can do is be honest about myself and take part in interviews like this to continue to show and demonstrate to the world the diversity that exists within our sport and that they should feel welcome. I want people to know and see that this is a safe place for them.'