Fabio Fognini, an Italian tennis player, attempted to show he supports the LGBT community following the use of homophobic slurs during the Olympics.
During his first match since the Olympics, Fognini wore rainbow wristbands and a rainbow headband on the court.
On Instagram, Fognini posted a picture in his attire and captioned it with the hashtag #loveforall.
Reaction to the gesture was mixed. Some people appreciated the sentiment. Others felt the gesture and apology don’t go far enough.
now he’s wearing a pride headband and sweatbands , like bro i don’t think that gets you out of it 🤣 pic.twitter.com/0n9JneMbGc
— sach (@sach_v2) August 9, 2021
Fognini blamed the hot conditions in Toyko for directing the homophobic slur at himself.
He added that he didn’t want to “offend anyone’s feelings.” He said he loves the LGBT community, and apologized “for the nonsense that I let out.”
Fognini, who is ranked 36th in the world, won his match in the rainbow attire. He beat Jan-Lennard Struff in the first round of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in Toronto, Canada.