By Elsa Girard-Basset | Web journalist
A long-standing taboo in high-level sport, homosexuality has sometimes been the subject of unwelcome declarations by certain athletes. But what does Roger Federer, who has a rather conservative image, think of it? The question was asked to the Swiss in 2013, and he answered it clearly, not without a little awkwardness.
It is often said that sport is a reflection of society, and this is particularly true for the issue of homosexuality. While the latter is increasingly widespread and accepted in Western societies, many athletes have had the courage to reveal their sexual orientation in broad daylight, even if it means taking risks for their careers.
The pioneer in this area is none other than Jason Collins, an NBA player who, in 2013, became the first basketball player in the prestigious North American league to come out. His speech caused a stir throughout the entire world of sport, and particularly in tennis, since Roger Federer himself had been questioned on this subject.
Roger Federer and Andy Murray’s opinion on gay players
Questioned a few days later, the Swiss showed himself to be particularly open to tennis players coming out of the closet:
I don’t think that would be a problem. We are very relaxed. We’re not a team sport, we don’t see each other all the time… We’re very open. So anyway, no problem. I don’t know if there are any gay players on the tour – from what I’ve heard, no. But that could change, especially following coming out to the NBA.
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Despite the remark on the fact that it was good not to “see each other all the time” between players, which could have been misinterpreted, Federer was therefore open and tolerant. He was not the only one at the time, since the British Andy Murray, also questioned following the coming out of Jason Collins, made generally the same remarks:
I think everyone is handling it better and better. There are more and more players who have come out (in other sports), and I think there are other players who are gay, probably. But when we talk about it with others, what comes out is that no one has a problem with that. So I hope there will be no problem in tennis when the situation arises.
The only thing is: more than 10 years after these speeches, the world of tennis continues to lag behind in this area. Does this mean that there are few homosexuals in the world of the yellow ball, or that silence continues to reign? Everyone will have their own opinion on the issue, which however remains closely monitored.
Despite a few coming out here and there, does the world of sport still remain under the influence of a taboo regarding homosexuality? This is what many observers believe, and the fact that no major player has ever revealed this sexual preference on the ATP circuit seems to attest to this. However, according to Roger Federer and Andy Murray, everything would go well.
