New Delhi: Diego Forlan’s newfound career in professional tennis started with a doubles loss at the Uruguay Open. The 45-year-old, paired with Federico Coria of Argentina, were granted wild card entry to play doubles at the tournament.
Forlan and Coria lost 6-1, 6-2 to Boris Arias and Federico Zeballos in the first round of the ATP’s second-tier challenger tour. Forlan and Coria received a warm reception from the crowd as the match began. The start was promising as the Uruguay pair managed to hold the first service game. As the match progressed, Forlan made a few unforced errors from his forehand, sailing long and dumping volleys in the net. Forlan’s serve lacked pace, giving an advantage to the opponent.
45-year-old Diego Forlan, footballing legend from Uruguay, MVP of the 2010 World Cup…
…makes his official tennis debut on the ATP Challenger Tour! 🎾 pic.twitter.com/rWbOAYcZLI
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) November 14, 2024
Forlan was broken in all of his service games and the pair was able to win only 58% of first-serve points for the match. There were some bright points too; down 4-1 in the first set, he hit a backhand that appeared to go wide but landed on the line before he stuck a perfect reflex volley that died over the net at the start of the second.
Diego Forlan’s highlights during his pro tennis debut alongside doubles partner Federico Coria in Montevideo.
Not much power on his serve or shots but some nice points at the net from Forlan 🔥
Done better than Paolo Maldini (2017) by 1 game ! pic.twitter.com/iPranboJWr
— edgeAI (@edgeAIapp) November 14, 2024
Even in the second set, the crowd pulled for Forlan chanting “Ole Ole Ole!” Despite the result Forlan smile throughout the match and was visibly aprreciative of the moment. After the match got ever he said to the crowd in Spainsh, “Thank you for the opportunity”.
For the past five years, Forlan has participated in amateur master’s tennis tournaments having already competed in more than three +40 tournaments in Montevideo and stood out in the MT1000 in Lima of the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour. This success earned him the invitation to play in Uruguay’s biggest professional tournament.
A glorious football career
The Uruguay striker retired from football in 2019 after playing with top clubs such as Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, and Inter Milan. Forlan was even the 2010 World Cup’s MVP and joint-highest scorer. He also netted twice in the 2011 Copa America final to help Uruguay win their first continental trophy in 16 years.
Forlan boasts an impressive tally of 222 goals from 525 appearances for various clubs he has played for and 36 goals from 112 caps from Uruguay. The forward is his country’s third-highest goal scorer, only behind Luis Suarez (69) and Edinson Cavani (58).
Former soccer star Diego Forlán made his professional tennis debut in a doubles match at the Uruguay Open, but he and Federico Coria were defeated in under an hour. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
