Let us take a look at some of the most famous tennis players who happen to be homosexual
Daria Kasatkina has become the latest tennis player to openly come out as gay. However, this is not something new in the tennis fraternity. Tennis is arguably one of the world’s most gay-friendly sports. Many former champions are openly gay, and those include the greatest of champions.
Here’s a list of five tennis players who have revealed their homosexual identity in the past.
5. Amelie Mauresmo
The most famous homosexual tennis player in recent times, Amelie Mauresmo has been there, done that. She has been World No.1, won Grand Slam titles and an Olympics medal, and even been a successful coach.
Before the final of the 1999 Australian Open, she came out (about her girlfriend) in an simple yet strong fashion: “You can say she’s my girlfriend. You can write about her. I don’t want to hide Sylvie. I love her.”
4. Rennae Stubbs
Stubbs – a six-time Grand Slam champion, has a reputation for being frank and honest about her sexuality. She said she got plenty of positive reinforcement and positive comments from fans after she came out. She was in a long term relationship with former doubles partner Lisa Raymond.
3. Gigi Fernandez
Fernandez came out publicly as a lesbian at a time when her career was at its peak. Fernandez won 17 Grand Slam doubles titles and two Olympic gold medals while representing the United States of America. She is also a former World No. 1 in women’s doubles.
2. Billie Jean King
King has always been an advocate for sexual equality, and she even won “The Battle of the Sexes” tennis match in 1973. She first got married to Larry King, but their relationship grew increasingly distant as her career blossomed. In the late 1960s King began to have relationships with women.
She kept her attraction toward and relationships with women hidden for a long. In 1981, she reluctantly came out as a lesbian when Marilyn Barnett (an ex-lover and personal secretary) filed a very public palimony suit.
1. Martina Navratilova
Navratilova is considered to be one of the greatest female tennis players of all time. She has an incredible haul of 59 Grand Slams. Navratilova came out publicly in 1991 through The Advocate. As a consequence, she started losing support from her sponsors and was treated like a pariah in the world of tennis. Her lesbianism was considered in contrast to the image that women’s tennis was trying to display.
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