Reis was asked about breaking boundaries in tennis, a sport with countless players in the women’s game, current and former, who are openly gay, but few examples in the men’s game.
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“I feel like a trailblazer, no, no,” he replied before pausing. “No I don’t.”
Reis, who plays mostly on the ATP Challenger Tour, came out at the end of 2024 – when he was ranked in the top 400 – and then enjoyed a prolific 2025 season.
The announcement came by posting a series of photos on his Instagram account, each with his partner, actor/model Gui Sampaio Ricardo.
He said there was no strategy behind the timing and he was prepared for the potential interest in his story.
“When it came out as news to the world, I thought there would be a lot of journalists who wanted to talk to me, but I didn’t want to talk to every one of them because I felt there was a lot of pressure, you know, to change my life overnight,” he said.
“And I didn’t want that. I just wanted to focus on tennis and I feel like I did pretty well last year because I’m focused on improving my game and I feel like the rankings show that I’m improving bit by bit and that’s what I want to do this year.”
Significantly, Swiss tennis player Mika Brunold followed his example and also decided to openly declare his sexuality last month.
The 21-year-old, ranked in the 300, came out as gay when he took to Instagram and admitted it was “time to open up and share” his sexual orientation with his fans.
Reis isn’t sure why, unlike in men’s tennis, there is a willingness among WTA players to freely declare their sexuality.
“I’ve been asked that question before and … I didn’t know how to answer it, and I still don’t,” he said.
“But I mean… I came out in like December 2024 and now there’s another guy. [Brunold] it worked, it worked. So maybe, maybe that was why [we] I didn’t have anyone come out first, I don’t know.
Brunold was clear in his belief about the importance of going public.
After writing that he spent “countless hours” working on all elements of his game and preparing for it, Brunold said self-discovery was the most important thing he spent time on.
“Through it all, one of the most important things I’ve learned is that success on the court isn’t just about physical skills — it’s about discovering your personality and staying true to yourself,” he wrote on Instagram.
Brunold went on to admit that he felt he had to hide the fact that he was gay.
“I’ve thought a lot about how to talk about it,” he wrote. “And even though it wasn’t always easy, hiding it and pretending to be someone I wasn’t.
Reis, who counted compatriot Gustav Kuerten, 2008 Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and one of the sport’s legends Rafael Nadal as his childhood heroes, constantly appreciates the strong support he receives from Brazilians when playing in his home country or away.
“Yeah, they’re like [very supportive]he said.
“I feel that people in Brazil love me, they like to support the Brazilian guys, especially in these big tournaments. I saw a few Brazilians on the court.” [today].
“It was a small yard [Kia Arena]but I’ve heard a lot of people saying ‘você pode conseguer’ – that’s ‘you can get it’ in Portuguese, of course, but yeah, well, that’s good to hear.”
He is pleased with his steady progress up the rankings and success playing qualifying events at back-to-back majors.
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“I had a great year last year. I started the year around 420, I think, in the rankings, and finished 200, and that gives me a chance to qualify for the US Open, my first Grand Slam, and start the year here, my second Grand Slam.”
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