The world number nine said there should "statistically" be a gay player in the top 100 of the rankings, and that players would be welcomed.

"I'm not sure if there are homosexual tennis players in the top 100," said Fritz.

"Statistically speaking, there should be...I think it is odd, because I feel like a player would be accepted.

"Myself and my friends, other players on tour wouldn't have any issues with it, it would be totally normal and I think people would be accepting.

"I couldn't tell you why.

"That would be a lot of big news and maybe people just don't want to be in the spotlight, maybe they don't want the distraction of getting all the attention and stuff like that."

There have been several gay or bisexual players in the Women's Tennis Association, including 18-time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova, two-time Grand Slam winner-turned coach Amélie Mauresmo and 39-time Grand Slam champion across all disciplines, Billie Jean King.

Highest-ranked Russian woman Daria Kasatkina came out as lesbian this year, revealing she was in a relationship with figure skater Natalia Zabiiako.

An ATP Tour survey found that 75 per cent of players reported having heard other players using homophobic slurs.

This led to a partnership with You Can Play, to push for more better inclusion with the LGBTQ+ community.

The survey indicated there was a "strong fear of rejection, isolation from others on tour, and loneliness" for LGBTQ+ players disclosing their sexually identity.

Former world number one Novak Djokovic said in 2018 that it would be a "courageous move".

American Brian Vahaly, who reached 64th in the world rankings in 2003, is the highest-profile men's player to come out as gay - but only done so after retiring.

Three countries on the ATP Tour have outlawed homosexuality - Morocco, Qatar and United Arab Emirates.