Diego Forlan has recently made the move to tennis after retiring from professional football in 2019, but the 45-year-old endured a tough losing start at the pro level of his new sport.
Forlan won a doubles title on the ITF senior tour earlier this year in Lima, but his wildcard invitation to the Uruguay Open on the ATP Challenger Tour ended at the first hurdle.
He and Argentine partner Federico Coria lost in straight sets, 6-1 6-2, to Bolivia duo Boris Arias and Federico Zeballos, one level beneath the main ATP Tour.
A solid first game of the match for the ex-footballer and his partner saw them hold serve, but that serve was broken in the third game as the Bolivians used their experience advantage to dominate from there and take the first set.
And things did not improve much in the second, outside of a slightly more competitive scoreline, with the match concluding in a total of just 49 minutes.
Forlan comments on pro tennis debut
Forlan, nonetheless, seemed very pleased with the experience and particularly impressed by the strong turnout of fans in Forlan football jerseys.
“I know my limitations,” he said post-match.
“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.
“I’ll take with me a few volleys, a good smash, and some forehands during the exchanges. Overall, I’m pleased,” he continued.
“There was a big crowd, which you don’t always see in tennis.
“I used to experience it in football, playing in front of 60,000 people, but in that sport it’s normal for me, not here.
“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.”