A TENNIS player has come out as gay and bravely admitted pretending to be someone else was “never an option”.
Mika Brunold, 21, revealed going public with his sexuality was a “step forward” for himself after feeling “pressure to stay quiet”.
But he added that in an “ideal world” there would be no need to come out at all.
Brunold becomes only the second currently-active gay professional male tennis player alongside Brazilian Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva.
The Swiss star took to Instagram with an emotional statement for his 9,500 followers.
World No310 Brunold wrote: “Heyy. Today I want to share something personal with you.
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“As a professional tennis player, I’ve spent countless hours working on my game, my body, and my mindset.
“Through all of this, one of the most important things I’ve learned is that success on the court isn’t just about physical skill – it’s about discovering your personality and staying true to yourself.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about how to talk about this. And while it hasn’t always been easy, hiding it and pretending to be someone I’m not was never an option.
“That’s why I feel it’s time for me to open up and share with you that I’m gay.”
Brunold then went on to talk about his fears, pride and appreciation around his sexuality, announcement and support network.
He continued: “Being gay doesn’t mean loving the same gender – it also means dealing with things most people never have to think about.
“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.
“I’m sharing this with you to take a step for myself, but also because I think it’s not talked about enough in sports.
“I believe that in an ideal world, we wouldn’t even need to ‘come out’ at all.
“I’m deeply grateful for everyone who supported me. Without you, I would never be the person I am today.”
The tennis community rallied around Brunold in the comments section.
Kim Clijsters, Sloane Stephens, Eva Lys, Viktoria Golubic and Jil Teichmann were among those to show their love.
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David Chen typed: “It takes immense self-belief, self-love, and undeniable bravery to come out in the middle of a tennis career. I’m incredibly proud and can’t wait to celebrate with you in person.”
And The Gay Tennis Pod added: “Takes a lot of courage! Proud of you.”
Brunold reached his career-high ranking of 289th in August.
He usually plays on the Challenger Tour – the tier below the ATP Tour – and has reached two semi-finals this year, including losing to Brit Henry Searle in Nottingham in January.
He was also given spots in qualifying for the Gstaad 250 and Basel Indoors 500 events in his homeland Switzerland.
On the women’s side, Daria Kasatkina is the most high-profile openly-gay active player.
Russian-born Kasatkina is engaged to figure skater Natalia Zabiiako and switched her national allegiance to Australia in March.
Belgian duo Alison van Uytvanck and Greet Minnen became the first same-sex couple to play doubles together at Wimbledon in 2019.
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