Inside Diego Forlan’s journey from football star to pro tennis debut

Football icon Diego Forlan was living a teenage dream in 1993 when he had the opportunity of a lifetime to play doubles with Argentine legend Diego Maradona. It was in the early stages of Forlan’s youth career, long before he became a superstar in his home country Uruguay and beyond.

More than 30 years later, that day remains a cherished memory for Forlan. He remembers that friendly match happened on Court No. 10 at the Carrasco Lawn Tennis Club in Montevideo. It is only fitting that the man who wore number 10 for Uruguay throughout his career will now compete at that same club during the Uruguay Open, an ATP Challenger Tour 100 event, which runs from 11-17 November.

“Imagine for me, to have the opportunity to be around [Maradona] and then the opportunity to play football and tennis — it was unbelievable,” Forlan recalled to a group of reporters. “We played football and we played doubles in tennis. We had a really good relationship. He was very competitive. It was a nice game.”

At the Uruguay Open, the 45-year-old Forlan will be playing doubles with an Argentine. Sound familiar? This time it will be Federico Coria, World No. 104 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Forlan and Coria have met just once, but this entertaining doubles pairing, which has captured the attention of football and tennis fans, is in part thanks to Uruguayan tennis player Ignacio Carou.

“[Ignacio] was joking many times with me to play some futures,” Forlan said. “This year, I said to him, ‘No, I was on holidays, I don’t want to play’. Then a couple months after, he sent me a picture of Federico Coria and said, ‘I have your partner for the Challenger in Uruguay’. I think it was a joke and then he said, ‘He wants to play with you, I’m not joking!’”

Forlan enjoyed a standout football career for clubs such as Manchester United, Villarreal and Atletico Madrid. He represented Uruguay three times in the World Cup and in 2010, Forlan won the Golden Ball, which is awarded to the World Cup’s best player.

Right-footed in football, but a lefty in tennis, Forlan used to play with a one-handed backhand, but now he sports a double hander. In the past 15 months, he has competed in five ITF Masters Tour events. Competing in the 45-plus division, Forlan’s best result came in his most recent outing in August, when he reached the final in Asuncion, Paraguay.

The two-time winner of the European Golden Shoe has long been a tennis enthusiast. Forlan’s ideal routine includes two hours of on-court training in the morning and later in the afternoon, he returns to the club, putting what he has practiced into action against friends. Forlan receives coaching from Uruguay's former Davis Cup captain Enrique Perez-Cassarino.

Diego Forlan at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Credit: Lars Baron/Getty Images

Forlan recalls playing tennis at a Manchester United preseason event in 2003 held at the Nike headquarters in Portland, Oregon. On the other side of the net? His former teammate Ruud van Nistelrooy, who this week was named interim manager for Manchester United — news which Forlan learned of while driving home from serving a basket of balls.

“We played a tie-break,” Forlan said of his 2003 hit with van Nistelrooy. “It was only me serving, so there were some double faults, giving some points to him. But I managed to win.”

Forlan also closely follows professional tennis results. Last week, he watched not only the ATP 500 events in Vienna and Basel, but also, Forlan live streamed the ATP Challenger Tour event in Curitiba, Brazil.

What started as a childhood passion has evolved into a full-fledged obsession.

“I used to watch Boris Becker a lot. I really enjoyed watching Ivan Lendl as well, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras,” Forlan said.

“I remember when Goran Ivanisevic won against Patrick Rafter at Wimbledon [in 2001]. He [received a wild card] for that tournament — didn’t have that chance to play because of his ranking. And he won the tournament. It was unbelievable. I remember the final because I was watching that match.”

Forlan’s wild-card outing will not be on the sacred lawns of Wimbledon like Ivanisevic’s was, but it will still be a memorable experience. Forlan will compete just steps away from the sentimental pitch where he first began playing football at the grassroots level.

“If you asked me when I was playing football if I was going to play a professional tournament in ATP, I wouldn’t have imagined that,” Forlan said. “Playing with the professionals for just one match, I will be enjoying it. Having the opportunity to — I don’t know if I’m the first one, but to be a professional football player to be a professional [tennis] player, just for one match… For me, it’s a privilege.

“I know it’s going to be really, really difficult to play against those guys. But I don’t have anything to lose. It’s a privilege for me to have this opportunity from [tournament director] Diego Perez.”

Did You Know?
Fans can watch all ATP Challenger Tour action for free on Challenger TV, with live streams and full match replays.

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