Former Uruguay striker Diego Forlan made his pro tennis debut in a doubles match at the Uruguay Open on Wednesday, just over five years after retiring from soccer.
Former Uruguay striker Diego Forlan made his professional tennis debut in a doubles match at the Uruguay Open on Wednesday, just over five years after retiring from soccer.
The 45-year-old Forlan, regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation, took to the tennis court alongside his doubles partner Federico Cori of Argentina after they were granted wild-card entries.
Despite the support of a sell-out crowd, Forlan’s debut ended in defeat, as he and Cori fell 6-1, 6-2 to Bolivia’s Boris Arias and Federico Zeballos in the first round of the ATP Challenger Tour event in his home city of Montevideo.
The ATP Challenger Tour is one rung below the main ATP Tour.
Forlan and Cori had only one break point, which they failed to convert, while their fourth-seeded opponents converted four of their six break points.
