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Retired soccer star Diego Forlan, 45, set for ATP debut at Uruguay Challenger

The former Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Manchester United striker has been racking up points on the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour since July 2023.

ByBaseline Staff

Published Oct 22, 2024

It’s never too late to go after your dreams. Just ask retired soccer star Diego Forlan, 45, who is set to make his professional tennis debut next month at the Uruguay Open.

The former Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Manchester United man was one of the greatest strikers of his generation when he retired from professional soccer back in 2019. The Uruguay native’s stellar career saw him claim multiple top scoring awards, including the Pichichi Trophy twice and European Golden Shoe twice, and at the 2010 World Cup he was named the best player and joint top scorer of the event.

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But Forlan has always held a love for tennis, and six years after his retirement from soccer he began competing on the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour. He has amassed a 73 percent win rate (8-3) this year, most recently reached the quarterfinals at an MT1000-level event in Lima and the final at an M400 level in Asuncion.

“I like to challenge myself in life,” he told press back in June. “This is a different sport for me, and I really enjoy the challenge of competing against very good players from different countries.

“Off the court it has been nice to meet people and to travel, these are aspects of the Tour that I enjoy a lot.”

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Right-footed in soccer but left-handed in tennis, the Uruguay’s former No. 10 has received a main draw wild card into the ATP Challenger event—one rung below the ATP Tour—and will be partnering with Argentina’s Federico Coria to make his debut in doubles.

“Yes, our No. 10 is smashing it in tennis too!” read the tournament’s Instagram caption, while Coria took to the comments to declare them the “team of the year.”

The Uruguay Challenger is set to take place at the Carrasco Lawn Tennis Club in Montevideo, from 11-17 November. Former singles champions include Juan Martin del Potro, Diego Schwartzman and Pablo Cuevas.

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