French tennis player Fabien Reboul has shared a picture of him kissing fellow player Maxence Broville in what has been hailed as a big step for LGBTQ+ representation in men’s tennis.
On Monday, the 27-year-old athlete posted a snapshot on his Instagram Stories which showed him sharing a kiss with 23-year-old Broville.
While neither player has officially confirmed their relationship, it seems as though fans are taking this as a wholesome "coming out" post.
Alongside the snapshot, Reboul captioned the post: "I did not fall in love with you, your love pushed me to it..."
If their relationship is confirmed, Reboul and Broville would be the first gay couple on the ATP tour.
The news comes after it was reported that there was a widespread homophobic sentiment in the men’s tennis circuit.
As per Tennis.com, 75% of players who participated in a survey by the men’s tennis tour said they have heard other players use homophobic slurs which is said to have resulted in "a negative environment for everyone".
The ATP said its findings "indicated a strong fear of rejection, isolation from others on tour, and loneliness as being likely barriers to LGBTQ+ players publicly disclosing their sexuality to others."
In order to combat these harmful narratives, ATP has partnered up with You Can Play, a group that is committed to providing visibility and inclusion for LGBTQ+ sports players by launching a multi-year education partnership.
Speaking of the changing attitudes in sports, ATP CEO Massimo Calvelli said: "Tennis is one of the world’s most global and diverse sports. Through ATP Serves, it’s our goal to ensure the culture of tennis is as inclusive and welcoming as possible. This requires us to take an honest look at ourselves and continue asking the right questions.
"Our LGBTQ+ survey showed overwhelming support amongst ATP players for greater action in this space, and identified clear areas where we can be doing better," he continued, also adding that they "would like to thank everybody for their contributions to this process so far and, together with You Can Play, look forward to making meaningful progress in years to come."
So far, there are no openly gay players in men's tennis.
