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Carlos Alcaraz was joined by openly gay former ATP player and current USTA First Vice President, Brian Vahaly, for the coin toss at the 2023 US Open. That led to plenty of homophobic backlash and subsequent defense from other fans.
As part of the US Open's third annual Open Pride celebration commemorating the LGBTQ+ community, Alcaraz and Lloyd Harris were joined by Vahaly, his husband Bill, and their twin sons, Parker and Bennett, for the coin toss during their second-round clash.
After the toss, both players posed for the cameras alongside Vahaly and his family.
"Celebrating (Pride flag) at the #USOpen," the US Open's post was captioned
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However, the Pride celebrations were marred by homophobic backlash, with several users expressing discomfort over the twins having same-sex parents.
"This is so wrong, just look at the body language of the poor kids," one user commented.
"Poor kids man… messing with their heads at such a young age," another user posted.
"Are you serious?! May God help those kids," another user shared.
One user criticized the US Open for "pushing" rainbow flags on occasions unrelated to Pride Month, which is celebrated in June.
"Clownshow. We already had your pride month. Move on and stop pushing these flags on every single occasion," the user posted.
However, other fans stepped up to defend the US Open. One fan called out the "disgusting" and "insecure" comments, emphasizing that the kids were accompanied by their loving parents.
"They have two loving parents. Which is more than it seems most of you had. Absolutely disgusting and insecure comments," the fan wrote.
"Imagine your life is so pathetic that you have to spew hatred towards a beautiful family," another fan chimed in.
Here are a few more fan reactions to the homophobic backlash:
Carlos Alcaraz downs Lloyd Harris to set up clash with Dan Evans in US Open 3R
Carlos Alcaraz claimed a 6-3, 6-1, 7-6(4) win over Lloyd Harris to advance to the third round at the US Open. The Spaniard fended off nine of 10 break points and rallied from a break down in the third set to improve to a 13-1 win/loss record at Flushing Meadows.
The top seed will continue his title defense against Dan Evans in the third round on Saturday, September 2. Evans defeated Botic van de Zandschulp 1-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 to book his spot against the 20-year-old in the Round of 32.
Should Alcaraz emerge victorious over Evans, he will take on the winner of the match between Cameron Norrie and Matteo Arnaldi in the fourth round.
