Diego Forlan, a Manchester United star, made an expectedly difficult professional tennis debut.
The 45-year-old retired footballer has switched from the pitch to the court in a quest to play professional tennis after excelling as a child.
After retiring from football in 2019, Forlan, who had played for Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, and Inter Milan, focused on tennis.
And the 112-time Uruguay international has returned to the ITF Tour to hone his talents, appearing in almost 45 events and ranking No.108 in that category.
But the football hero has finally tried his hand at professional tennis, competing on the ATP Challenger Tour, tennis’ second tier circuit.
After getting a wildcard to the Uruguay Open in Montevideo, Forlan played a doubles match with Argentine partner Federico Coria.
However, the pair were defeated in just 47 minutes by opponents Boris Arias and Federico Zeballos, who hammered the newcomer and his companion 6-1 6-2.
Forlan and Coria started the match on a strong note, holding serve, but their Bolivian opponents quickly proved their experience and pulled away.
Coria, Forlan’s partner, has previous professional tennis experience.
The 32-year-old has a career high singles rating of 49 and recently defeated British No.1 Cam Norrie.
Diego Forlan’s Football Career
A brief overview of Diego Forlan’s career.
CLUB CAREER
1998-2002: Independiente
2002–2004: Manchester United
2004–2007: Villarreal
2007–2011: Atletico Madrid
2011–2012: Inter Milan
2012–2014: Sports Club Internacional
2014–2015: Cerezo Osaka
2015–2016: Penarol
2016–2017: Mumbai City
2018: Kitchee
INTERNATIONAL CAREER.
Caps: 112
Goals: 36.
Assists: 13
Major Tournament Appearances: 28
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Speaking before of his debut, Forlan knew how difficult it would be to face seasoned pros, but said he wanted to give it a shot at least once to see what happened.
He told The Guardian: “I’m far removed from those folks. Everything seems to be going well for me.
“Having the opportunity to be, I don’t know if I’m the first, a professional football player and professional tennis player, just for one game, it’s a privilege.”
A man wearing a blue shirt is clutching a tennis racket.Forlan lost his professional debut in barely 47 minutes.A man sporting a blue shirt with the name adidas on it. The celebrity received a tremendous reception from a home crowd in Uruguay.
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