Former Manchester United and Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan on Tuesday said he felt “like a little boy” after swapping his soccer boots for a tennis racket at the age of 45.
The former Uruguayan forward was speaking at the launch of the Uruguay Open, where he would make his professional tennis debut next week.
“I enjoy it [tennis] like a little boy and having the privilege of playing a professional tournament is a luxury,” Forlan said at the Carrasco Lawn Tennis Club in Montevideo, which hosts the tournament from Sunday to Sunday next week.
Photo: AFP
Forlan, who retired from the Uruguayan national team in 2015 and from club soccer in 2019, is to play doubles with Argentina’s Federico Coria, the 32-year-old brother of Argentina’s Davis Cup captain, Guillermo Coria.
The winner of the Golden Ball for best player at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, who played tennis before becoming a professional soccer player, has just made his debut in the over-40 circuit of the International Tennis Federation.
He said he was excited to compete on the courts where he played as a child.
“It’s a gift, so I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. I’m still a former football player enjoying a sport that I played from a very young age,” he said.
The Uruguay Open, part of the ATP’s second-tier Challenger Tour, is the country’s biggest men’s professional tennis tournament.
“I try to prepare in the best possible way, but I am clear about the fact that I am not at the level of professional players,” Forlan said. “First there is a significant age difference, even though I am in good condition physically.”
Over the course of his club career Forlan was twice the Spanish La Liga’s top scorer.
He also won the Premier League with United in 2003, the Europa League with Atletico seven years later and helped Uruguay win the 2011 Copa America for a record 15th time.
Forlan said that while he had “greatly enjoyed” his time on the pitch, he played “much more tennis” now.
“The truth is that I would never have imagined today that I would have the opportunity to play tennis at a professional level, not even close,” he said.
“It’s a sport that I play and that I have fun with, but I don’t dominate it in the way I did football,” he said.
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