Tennis player Nadia Podoroska comes out, is dating Guillermina Naya
Argentina tennis player Nadia Podoroska has come out, revealing that she’s dating fellow Argentina tennis player Guillermina Naya in a social media post.
In an Instagram post, Podoroska shared a picture of her hugging and kissing Naya during the latter’s birthday last September.
The caption declared: “Today I celebrate you from afar, but I feel you by my side every day of my life.”
Nadia Podoroska takes a break, gets a girlfriend
The 25-year old Podoroska narrated that they first started dating when she took a ten-month recovery break from her injuries after last year’s US Open.
“From September to December I was able to be in Argentina with my parents. That affection and positive energy of being at home helped a lot,” she said.
“Then I went to Spain, I was fine because it seemed like it would be a short time before I could compete again,” she said.
She added, “When I knew it would be longer, my mum was able to visit me. Then my girlfriend came to see me. That’s how it started to happen.”
Her declaration makes her the third professional tennis player to come out this year, following the coming out of Russian tennis player Daria Kasatkina as a lesbian last July.
Billie Jean King congratulates the couple
After her declaration, Podoroska and Naya received a lot of congratulations and messages of support– including one from American tennis icon Billie Jean King.
Aside from being a former world No. 1 tennis player who has won 39 major titles and was a member of the US team, King was also one of the first professional women’s athletes who came out as gay in 1981.
In a Twitter post, King said: “Congratulations to WTA player Nadia Podoroska on her announcement. Living authentically takes such courage, but it is always worth it.”
Podoroska thanked King for her message and said, “I respect you for everything you represent to us. You are a true role model in the fight for equality in sport and beyond sport.”
Nadia Podoroska aims to become even stronger
Currently ranked 203 in the world, Podoroska managed to get into the semi-finals of the French Open in 2020.
However, she suffered a series of injuries and this affected her WTA Rankings, down to No. 204. She also incurred a string of early exits– including a first-round loss at the US Open.
Talking to Clay Tennis, Podoroska said she aims to come back even stronger and surpass her past career high.
“I want to become number one in the world and win a Grand Slam. One of my biggest dreams is that Argentine women’s tennis develop more players and tournaments,” she said.
She explained that, “South American players have many disadvantages. It is much more complicated to live in that part of the world. That’s why I live in Europe. It would be a dream to help change that disadvantage.”