Tennis star Mika Brunold makes emotional announcement as he reveals the truth about his sexuality
Rising tennis star Mika Brunold has come out as gay after previously feeling pressure to ‘stay quiet’ while competing on the ATP Tour.
Currently ranked 310th in the world, the Swiss young gun revealed the news in a powerful Instagram post on November 30.
Brunold follows Brazilian Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva, who became the first openly gay active male player last year.
The 21-year-old, who has won three singles titles on the ITF Tour and reached the semi-finals of two ATP Tour Challenger events in 2025, posted about ‘the fear of not being accepted’ and ‘pressure to stay quiet’.
‘Being gay doesn’t (just) mean loving the same gender – it also means dealing with things most people never have to think about,’ part of his lengthy post read.
‘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.
Rising tennis star Mika Brunold (pictured) has come out as gay after previously feeling pressure to ‘stay quiet’ while competing on the ATP Tour
Currently ranked 310th in the world, the Swiss young gun, 21, revealed the news in a powerful Instagram post (pictured)
Among Brunold’s well-wishers were Aussie NBL star Isaac Humphries – who is also openly gay – and former world No.1 Kim Clijsters
‘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.’
It didn’t take long for Brunold to feel supported online.
Aussie NBL star Isaac Humphries – who is also openly gay – posted ‘welcome to the squad’, while four-time Grand Slam winner and former world No.1 Kim Clijsters responded to Brunold’s post with a love-heart emoji.
German tennis star Eva Lys, currently ranked world No.40 on the WTA Tour, posted three clapping emojis, while The Gay Tennis Pod added: ‘Takes a lot of courage! Proud of you.’
Brunold reached a career-high ranking of 289th in August.
In women’s professional tennis, Russian-born Daria Kasatkina is the most high-profile openly gay active player.
Kasatkina switched her national allegiance to Australia in March.
