When Mika Brunold publicly came out as gay in November 2025, breaking into the world’s top 200 was one of his sporting ambitions.

Less than a year later, the Swiss tennis player has reached that milestone — and says the freedom he feels since coming out is helping him on court.

The 22-year-old has climbed to a career-high ranking of No. 191, following ATP Challenger titles in Tulln, Austria, and Roanne, France. He has also made his ATP Tour main-draw debut at the Swiss Indoors in Basel.

In an interview with Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger, covered by Outsports on October 27, Brunold described greater confidence, fewer negative thoughts and more energy to devote to his game.

A breakthrough built on the court

Brunold’s recent results mark a significant step forward. He was outside the top 400 as recently as August before a run that took him into the top 200.

His official website lists the Tulln and Roanne victories among his 2026 achievements, while his Tennis.com player profile records the No. 191 career high.

The Challenger circuit is a different level from the main ATP Tour. His two titles and his Basel debut are separate achievements, each representing progress in his professional career.

In Basel, his first-round match ended in defeat to Nuno Borges. Reaching that stage was nevertheless another milestone in a season that has opened new opportunities.

Brunold’s account of feeling freer adds a personal dimension to those results. It is his description of improved confidence, rather than a claim that coming out alone explains his rise.

The messages that mattered

Beyond the rankings, Brunold recalled hearing from people who said his announcement had helped them come out themselves.

Some had finally found the courage to tell their parents.

For readers who remember rehearsing that conversation, the significance needs little explanation. A public announcement from someone you have never met can make a private conversation feel more possible.

Brunold had that kind of example himself in Brazilian professional João Lucas Reis da Silva, whose coming out and positive reception encouraged him.

In September, the two met in the Tulln final. Brunold won the match and used his post-match remarks to thank Reis da Silva for helping pave the way.

The moment brought sporting competition and mutual encouragement together: two men pursuing their own careers, aware that their visibility could help others.

He wants his tennis to come first

Brunold is comfortable discussing his sexuality, while also wanting his sporting work to remain central.

“I’m a tennis player, not the gay tennis player,” he said in the interview, as translated by Outsports.

Those wishes can sit together. He can value the people his story has helped and still want attention paid to the hours of training, the matches and the results.

Right now, those results give tennis fans plenty to follow: two Challenger trophies, a first main-draw appearance on the ATP Tour and a place inside the world’s top 200.

For Brunold, being more comfortable with himself is part of the story of getting there.

📷 Peter Arnold

For more LGBTQ+ stories, visit B-Gay on YouTube.

Robert Irwin is used to sharing the spotlight with wildlife. Sharing his underwear photos with a future king proved rather more awkward.

The Australian conservationist found himself in that position on the October 23 episode of The Graham Norton Show, when pictures from his BONDS campaign appeared on screen while Prince William sat alongside him.

One photograph showed Irwin wearing briefs with a python draped around his neck. It gave the conversation a distinctly different direction from the environmental work that brought the guests together.

“I can’t believe I’m looking at these with Prince William,” Irwin said, as reported by Attitude.

William’s contribution was brief: “I’m still thinking about your python.”

Irwin leaned forward and buried his face in the sofa. Sitting with Cate Blanchett and Hannah Waddingham, he suddenly had rather more than an underwear campaign to explain.

The wildlife had a purpose

The photographs date from 2025, when BONDS launched its Made for Down Under campaign. The fresh moment is their appearance on the talk show, rather than a newly released shoot.

As FashionUnited reported at the campaign’s launch, Irwin and musician Tkay Maidza helped introduce the Australian brand to American shoppers through advertisements featuring real snakes and spiders.

On Norton’s sofa, Irwin explained that including animals was also a way to bring conservation into a space where audiences might not expect it.

That wider mission is central to his work. The Earthshot Prize’s official biography describes his involvement in wildlife rescue, habitat protection and public education through Australia Zoo and Wildlife Warriors.

He became one of the initiative’s first global ambassadors in 2024, giving him an existing professional connection with William beyond this memorable television exchange.

A friend to the LGBTQ+ community

For gay viewers, Irwin’s appeal also includes the warmth with which he talks about the LGBTQ+ people in his life.

In an interview revisited by DNA in September 2025, he discussed his close friendship with Luke, a childhood friend and Australia Zoo’s general manager, and Luke’s husband, Mitch.

Irwin described both men as among his closest friends and compared them to big brothers.

It is an affectionate glimpse of the relationships behind his public support for the community, and another reason his good humour resonates.

This time, though, the conservation advocate’s attempt to explain the animals in his underwear campaign came with an unexpected challenge: keeping a straight face beside a prince with a punchline.

Photo credit: BONDS; BBC / The Graham Norton Show.

For more LGBTQ+ stories, visit B-Gay on YouTube.