Five years after Diego Forlán hung up his boots, the ex-Manchester United striker now has his sights set on professional tennis.
Forlán will make his doubles competition debut at the Uruguay Open in November. The 45-year-old will compete alongside Federico Coria in the ATP Challenger tournament, the second-highest tier of tennis competition.
Coria, age 32, is currently the world number 101 in singles. The Argentine was ranked number 49 in 2023.
Forlán played tennis as a teenager and now returned to the sport in the years following his retirement from soccer in 2019. He has become a regular competitor at ITF Masters tournaments throughout his home country, but he will face his biggest challenge yet going up against Challenger-level competition next month.
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Diego López, the Uruguay Open tournament director, is ready to welcome the Uruguayan legend with open arms.
"I have his confirmation that he wants to play. He has been preparing for some time, training a lot in tennis," he said. "I think he deserves this opportunity and give him this mutual satisfaction. Of course I'm talking about our beloved Diego Forlán."
Forlán won the Golden Ball for his performance at the 2010 World Cup where he carried La Celeste to a fourth-place finish. He was the tournament's joint top-scorer with five goals. One year later, he bagged a brace against Paraguay in the 2011 Copa América final, leading Uruguay to its then-record 15th Copa América title.
The striker also won the Premier League with Manchester United and the Europa League with Atlético Madrid.
Now in his second act, the 45-year-old will look to add more silverware to his trophy cabinet, just from a different sport.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Former Man Utd Striker Diego Forlan to Make Pro Tennis Debut at 45.
