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Diego Forlan’s professional tennis debut ended pretty swiftly as he and his doubles partner were beaten 6-1, 6-2 in under an hour. The 45-year-old played alongside Argentine player Federico Coria against Bolivian duo Boris Arias and Federico Zeballos at the Uruguay Open in Montevideo. Forlan and Coria got a wildcard to play in the ATP Challenger Tour event, which is the rung below the ATP Tour.

The former Manchester United , Atletico Madrid and Villarreal striker got plenty of support in his home country, but it did not prove to be of any help as his team were comfortably beaten. The match lasted just 47 minutes, with Forland and Coria unable to earn a break point over the contest. Reflecting on the occasion, Forlan said, via ClayTenis.



com : ‘I’m grateful for the opportunity to play with Fede ‘It’s not easy for him to enter these tournaments with an amateur beside him. I hadn’t even imagined, let alone dreamed of this. It’s wonderful to have played against professionals – it takes courage to do it.

‘The atmosphere on this court that I love so much was incredible; my friends, my family were here. It was very special, and I enjoyed it. I felt like a tennis player for a moment.

’ The Uruguayan was a talented tennis player in his childhood, but obviously chose to focus on footbal instead, before returning to the court after retiring from the pitch. In an interview with the Athletic earlier this year, Forlan said he practices four times a week and was drawn back.

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