Openly gay player Lendale Johnson hails Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic & Andy Murray for their support
The top stars of the current generation - Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray - have been excellent ambassadors not just for tennis, but for the sporting world in general.
All four players have been vocal about social issues throughout their career, and have championed various movements. Whether it is equal pay between men and women in tennis or fair treatment of wheelchair event players, practically every important issue has seen one or the other come forward to do his bit.
So it comes as no surprise that openly gay tennis player Lendale Johnson has acknowledged the support of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray in helping LGBTQ athletes overcome the difficulties they face in their careers.
Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have stepped up as allies: Johnson
In a column written for The Metro, Lendale Johnson talked about the various issues faced by members of the LGBTQ community. The American mentioned how Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic have all spoken up about the issue and relayed their overwhelming support over the years, which has meant a lot for players struggling to come out.
"Opening a dialogue during interviews and press conferences is a pivotal step in changing the stigma," Johnson said. "I applaud Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray who have previously stepped up as allies and done just that."
In 2013 Roger Federer had expressed his support for all players, no matter what their sexual orientation. When asked what his reaction would be if a fellow player came out, the Swiss maestro had said:
"I don't think it would be a problem. We're very relaxed. We don't play a team sport and see each other all the time. ... We're very open. So whatever happens, happens. I don't know if there are any (gay players). So far from what I've heard, no. But that could change (if players had the courage to speak up)."
Andy Murray has also in the past encouraged having players of all sexual orientations on the tour, saying 'there's no problem at all.'
"More and more players have come out and I think there has to be some players that are probably gay. From speaking to the other players, I don't think anyone has any issues with it. So I hope that in tennis it's an issue that is dealt with well when the situation arises," the Brit had said.
When asked his opinion on the matter in 2018, Novak Djokovic had also claimed it would be a ‘courageous move’ for any player to come out and that he ‘wouldn’t have anything against that'.
In his column, Johnson also spoke about what it meant to be an openly gay tennis player growing up in America. He elaborated at length on the various struggles that members of the LGBTQ community, who are tennis players, have faced over the years.
Two of the most famous icons in the history of women's tennis - Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova - both came out as openly gay players a few decades ago. And if icons of the game like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic keep showing their support, tennis will keep moving forward progressively - to the point where coming out is acknowledged as something normal and not a 'brave move'.