Racquet: This genre is having a moment. With the success of Heated Rivalry [surely we needn’t say that it’s a show on HBO Max about two hockey players who fall in love—Ed.], gay sports romance is all the rage.
ES: I knew that I didn't want it to be a coming out story; it's a being out story. It's about 20-year-old Austin Hardy, competing at the US Open. He comes in through qualifiers and he's been out for a few years. He came out in high school. Hasn't been a big deal. But suddenly he breaks a record just by being who he is, and all of that media turns straight to him. I wanted to explore what that must be like for a young man to experience while in one of the fiercest competitions of his life.
Racquet: How did you first decide to write this story?