Greg In Hollywood meets Brian Vahaly, the openly gay president of the United States Tennis Association

Was feeling a tad melancholy as I was about to leave the grounds of the BNP Paribas Open last night because it was the last of my six days at the fabulous tournament.

Then I spotted Brian Vahaly who is president of the USTA (United States Tennis Association). He was surprised to be recognized but shouldn’t be. The openly gay retired ATP pro was part of the Pride Night held at the US Open last August which I attended and has given a lot of interviews that I have enjoyed.

Brian, now 46. reached the quarterfinals of the tournament in 2003 and defeated then world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero along the way. He announced his retirement three years later after three shoulder surgeries.

Although he was not out during his playing career, Brian came out publicly in 2017 and remains one of the very few make tennis players – even retired – to ever do so. He is married to Bill Jones, with whom he is raising two twin boys.

Brian seemed genuinely touched last night when I thanked him for being out and being a leader – especially during a time when it has become increasingly difficult to do so.

This encounter ended my week at the tourney on a real high – plus I got to watch my fave Carlos Alcaraz win earlier in the day.