Tennis - Diego Forlan plays at Uruguay Open - Carrasco Lawn Tennis Club, Montevideo, Uruguay - November 13, 2024 Former football player and Ballon d'Or winner in 2010, Uruguay's Diego Forlan makes his debut as a tennis professional at 45 in a doubles match with Federico Coria against Federico Zeballos and Boris Arias. REUTERS/Andres Cuenca
(Reuters) - Former Uruguay striker Diego Forlan swung and missed on court with Argentina's Federico Cori as his tennis doubles debut ended in defeat, losing 6-1 6-2 to Bolivia's Boris Arias and Federico Zeballos at the Uruguay Open on Wednesday.
The 45-year-old Forlan buckled under the pressure as the duo were outplayed by the dynamic Bolivian pair, managing just 27 points in the 47-minute match.
It was a stark contrast to the roaring applause from the sell-out crowd at the Carrasco Lawn Tennis Centre, who were hoping to see the same magic that Forlan once produced on the court.
"I enjoyed it quite a lot. I knew that the possibility of it being a difficult game for us was very high. I was happy. It's not easy at all. I played an exhibition in 2017 and 2018 and I didn't have the experience of today," an upbeat Forlan told a press conference.
Forlan enjoyed a brilliant career with Uruguay, scoring 36 goals in 112 appearances, including a heroic run to the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup.
The former Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, Inter Milan and Manchester United player, with whom he won a Premier League title, turned his attention to tennis since hanging up his boots in 2018.
Forlan has competed in more than three +40 tournaments in Montevideo, also standing out in the MT1000 in Lima of the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour, however, his transition from football prodigy to tennis novice will require a few more practice sets.
The Challenger Tour event continues in Montevideo from Nov. 11-17.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Stephen Coates)
