Brian Vahaly Wants Men’s Tennis To Welcome More LGBTQIA+ Players
As the U.S. Open gets into full swing, the man at the top is making history. Brian Vahaly, the President of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), is not just a former top-100 player. He is also the first man from the ATP Tour to come out as gay, and he has a thoughtful plan to make the sport more inclusive for everyone.
It all changed when he became a father.
For years, Vahaly was a private person who never planned to come out publicly. He was out to family and friends, and that felt like enough. But in 2017, the birth of his twin sons with his partner, Bill Jones, changed everything.
“You’re just looking at them and thinking about the life you want to build for them, and your priorities shift. It’s not about you anymore,” Vahaly, 46, told NBC News. He felt an “overwhelming sense of responsibility” to be a visible role model, something he never had as a young, closeted athlete. That year, he shared his story on a Sports Illustrated podcast. While he received support from some players, he also faced thousands of hateful messages about his family, many fixated on his children not having a mother. “I was disappointed to receive all of that,” he said, “but I was very well-prepared.”
The long road to self-acceptance…
That preparation came from a lifetime of navigating difficult environments. Growing up in a religious household and moving into a professional sport where homophobic jokes were common, Vahaly developed a lot of internalised homophobia. He learned to compartmentalise his feelings to succeed on the court, a skill that protected his career but damaged his personal life. He even went through so-called conversion therapy at a church, where he was told his attraction to men was a “horrible defect.” He now sees those as wasted years trying to change who he was.
“I didn’t feel like tennis was a safe space for me.”
After retiring from the sport, Vahaly built a successful career in finance. When he was first asked to join the USTA board, he said no. The lack of visible gay men in leadership positions made him wary. “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 organisation, or a sport more broadly, would be comfortable with you,” he explained. He eventually accepted, starting quietly and focusing on player development before rising to become president.
So why are there so few out men in tennis?
Women’s tennis has a celebrated history of out LGBTQIA+ champions, from Billie Jean King to Martina Navratilova. The men’s tour, however, remains a different story. Vahaly points to a few reasons why male players stay in the closet. The financial risk from sponsors is a major concern, as is the reality of the tour travelling to countries where being gay is illegal or socially condemned.
Changing the game from the inside.
Now in a position of power, Vahaly’s approach isn’t about loud protests. He believes in a quieter, more personal strategy to foster acceptance. “Sometimes, shouting from the rooftops your beliefs or being really firm and in your face is not the right approach,” he said. Instead, he focuses on conversation and connection. “I think humanizing people in our community is actually what drives us forward… I’m simply trying to show how and why we’re actually not that different.”
During the U.S. Open, he is using his platform to support organisations like The Trevor Project and Athlete Ally. His goal is clear. “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,” Vahaly said. “I want people to know and see that this is a safe place for them.”
