Soccer

Diego Forlán: ‘Playing with professionals, just for one game, you never know’

Stakes in the former footballer’s professional debut are not particularly high but the YouTube vlog will be spectacular

Former Manchester United player Diego Forlán will play doubles in the Uruguay Open ATP Challenger category with Argentine tennis player Federico Coria. Photograph: Santiago Mazzarovich/AFP via Getty Images
Former Manchester United player Diego Forlán will play doubles in the Uruguay Open ATP Challenger category with Argentine tennis player Federico Coria. Photograph: Santiago Mazzarovich/AFP via Getty Images
Tumaini Carayol
Wed Nov 13 2024 - 09:54

Before the start of the Uruguay Open, the organisers of the second-string ATP Challenger tournament had an announcement. After flooding their social media pages with references to just one participant during the week, finally, a date was confirmed for the unmissable match and tickets were on sale: “Get ready for an epic night that will remain in the memory of the Uruguay Open,” they wrote.

It is incredibly rare for any first round match on the humble challenger or future tours to generate enough attention to warrant the tournament organisers planning its exact date and time in advance. In doubles, which is usually banished to the outer courts in front of nobody at all, it is almost unheard of. But this is no normal occasion. On Wednesday at 10am local time, after weeks of publicity, interviews and hype, Diego Forlán, the former Manchester United, Villarreal, Atlético Madrid and Inter player, will make his professional tennis debut alongside Federico Coria of Argentina in Montevideo.

Forlán’s first tennis appearance is the next step in a journey that began as a child. He grew up playing tennis and football, training at the Uruguay Open’s tournament venue, Carrasco Lawn Tennis Club. When the time came to commit to one sport, Forlán opted to pursue football, following the path set out before him by his father, Pablo, and maternal grandfather, Juan Carlos Corazzo, who both also competed for Uruguay internationally.

Since his retirement, Forlán has dedicated himself to tennis again, now training four to five times a week under the tutelage of Enrique Pérez Cassarino, the former Uruguay Davis Cup captain. Although right-footed on the pitch, the 45-year-old is a left-hander on the court. Last year, he began to compete on the ITF Masters Tour, playing in five tournaments. He has enjoyed some success, particularly in the 45+ category, where he reached a final in August and rose to No 101 in the age-group rankings.

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This one-off appearance on the professional circuit is a result of the persistence of the Uruguayan tennis player Ignacio Carou. After repeatedly urging Forlán to compete on the lower futures circuit, Carou decided to link Forlán and Coria together. “[Now] we are here, trying to see what it is gonna be,” says Forlán, smiling.

The gap between the ATP Challenger tour, where many players are close to breaking through to compete each week at the highest level, and the amateur 45+ Masters Tour is enormous. While it may be a spectacle to see one of the footballing greats in action, it will be extremely difficult for Forlán to hold his ground on the court.

“I’m far away from those guys,” he says. “For me, everything is positive. Playing with professionals, just for one game, you never know, but I know it’s difficult. I will enjoy.

Diego Forlán with team-mate Roy Keane during their time at Manchester United. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Diego Forlán with team-mate Roy Keane during their time at Manchester United. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

“It’s going to be in my club with so many people, good weather. Having the opportunity to be, I don’t know if I’m the first, a professional football player and professional tennis player, just for one game, it’s a privilege.”

This event also reflects one of the unique facets of the sport: Open, as many tournaments are titled, truly means open. Anyone can enter a professional tournament if they are given a wild card or if the entry cut-off is low enough, as long as they fill out the requisite forms and enter the anti-doping pool.

This is, after all, the sport of Gail Falkenberg, a 77-year-old who competed regularly in singles on the ITF World Tennis Tour as recently as last year, won a match and faced Naomi Osaka and Taylor Townsend in professional matches. At the lower level of the sport, there are sometimes even beginner or intermediate players who invest significant time and resources in losing 6-0, 6-0 around the world.

Forlán may not fall into that category, but his cameo on the tour will be tough. He will face the fourth seeds, Federico Zeballos and Boris Arias, who are doubles specialists ranked 109. Forlán’s incredible record and earnings as a footballer contrast sharply with his opponents’ modest experiences as professional athletes. The Bolivian pair have made $35,919 (€33,810) each in 2024 after 11 months of racking up expenses while travelling and competing around the world. This is serious for them. They are fighting an uphill battle to make a living and they should ruthlessly target the weaker link, Forlán, in order to advance.

Unlike Paolo Maldini, who originated the football legend to professional tennis pipeline by competing in a Milan ATP Challenger event in 2017 at 49 years old alongside his 46-year-old coach Stefano Landonio, losing 6-1, 6-1, Forlán will at least have a strong player alongside him. Coria, the younger brother of the former No 3 Guillermo Coria, is 32 years old, ranked No 101 in singles and the third seed in the singles draw.

Coria publishes a popular vlog that charts his life on tour. With a doubles ranking of 413 and a 2-9 record in doubles this year, this match will have no impact on his career aspirations, but the YouTube content will be spectacular. – Guardian