Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva Serves Up History As The First Openly Gay Man In An ATP Main Draw
João Lucas Reis da Silva has reached another milestone in a career that keeps moving forward. At the 2026 Rio Open, the Brazilian became the first openly gay man to compete in the main draw of an ATP 500 event, which sits near the top tier of men’s tennis tournaments.
The ATP is the Association of Tennis Professionals, which runs the main global men’s tour. For a sport that still has very few openly gay men at the elite level, moments like this land loudly, even when the scoreboard does not cooperate.
How he got into the main draw
Earlier this month, the Rio Open confirmed Reis da Silva as a main-draw wildcard, giving him a direct entry into the tournament at the Jockey Club Brasileiro in Rio de Janeiro.
In the announcement, Reis da Silva said the wildcard was “a great opportunity” to play an ATP 500 at home with his support network around him. Rio Open tournament director Luiz Carvalho backed the decision too, saying he “fully deserves this wildcard” after a consistent 2025 season.
What happened in his Rio Open debut?
Reis da Silva’s first-round match delivered the history, even if it did not deliver the win. He lost in straight sets to Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann, 7–6, 6–4, in his ATP 500 main-draw debut.
Reis da Silva has been doing that since he came out in 2024, and he is still climbing, with recent rankings sitting just outside the top 200 and a career-high inside the top 200 in late 2025.
Men’s tennis has had plenty of out stars on the women’s side, but far fewer at the top of the men’s game. Reis da Silva’s appearance in an ATP 500 main draw puts a visible marker on the calendar for anyone watching and wondering if there is room for them in this sport, too.
You can view them directly on the Rio Open Official Instagram account. The Rio Open provided these official images to document the event.
