Forlan sees net positives, despite tennis debut defeat

Former Uruguay striker Diego Forlan swung and missed on court alongside Argentina's Federico Coria 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 Club, who were hoping to see the same magic that Forlan once produced on the soccer pitch.

"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 post-match news conference.

Forlan and Coria were granted wild-card entries to play doubles in the tournament.

Forlan enjoyed a brilliant soccer career with Uruguay, scoring 36 goals in 112 appearances, including a heroic run to the semifinals of the 2010 World Cup.

The former Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, Inter Milan and Manchester United player turned his attention to tennis after hanging up his boots in 2018.

Forlan has competed in several over-40 tournaments in Montevideo, also standing out at the MT1000 in Lima on the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour. However, it seems his transition from soccer star to tennis novice will require a few more practice sets.

The Challenger Tour event runs in Montevideo until Nov 17.

Agencies