He was Premier League champion with Manchester United, he impressed with Villarreal and Inter Milan, he won the Europa League with Atlético de Madrid, he wore the Uruguay shirt 112 times, with which he scored 26 goals for his country and reached to the semi-final of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Now, at 45 years old, Diego Forlan He is a convinced tennis player who will debut in an ATP Challenger 100 tournament, the second ranking on the men’s circuit, behind the ATP 250, in November.
He will do it in the doubles table with a renowned tennis player, the Argentine Fernando Coria, 101 in the world ranking, and he will do it at home, at the Uruguay Open, from November 11 to 17.
He has entered the final draw thanks to an invitation, but with the solid foundations of someone who loved tennis even above football, and who has recovered his passion once he took off his cleated boots in 2018. According to the local press, Forlán combined both sports for a long time, but he considered that he would earn more money with soccer, something he needed for his sister Alejandra, a paraplegic since she was 17 due to a car accident.
Since changing the ball for the racket, Forlán has played several senior tournaments (over 40 years old) on the international circuit; In August he was a finalist in the MT400 in Asunción and won the title in the MT in Lima in the doubles category with Alberto Brause.
“Yes, our number 10 is also showing off in tennis,” the organizers commented when the former soccer player’s presence in the Uruguayan clay court tournament was announced. Although he does it with a difference, while he kicked the ball with his right leg, he holds the racket with his left hand.
«I like to challenge myself in life. For me this is a different sport and I really enjoy the challenge of competing against very good players from different countries. Off the court, it’s been nice meeting people and traveling. “These are aspects of the Masters Tour that I really enjoy,” he said at the beginning of the year in words reported by the International Tennis Federation.
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