Former Manchester United and Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan stated Tuesday that he felt “like a little boy” after buying and selling his soccer boots for a tennis racket on the age of 45.
The Uruguayan ahead was talking on the launch of the Uruguay Open, the place he’s set to make his skilled tennis debut subsequent week.
“I enjoy it (tennis) like a little boy, and having the privilege of playing a professional tournament is a luxury,” Forlan stated on the Carrasco Lawn Tennis Club in Montevideo, which is able to host the event from Nov. 10 to 17.
Forlan, who retired from the Uruguayan nationwide crew in 2015 and from membership soccer in 2019, will play doubles with Argentina’s Federico Coria, the 32-year-old brother of Argentina’s Davis Cup captain, Guillermo Coria.
The winner of the 2010 World Cup Golden Ball, awarded to the perfect participant on the event in South Africa, Forlan performed tennis earlier than changing into knowledgeable footballer. He just lately made his debut within the over-40 circuit of the International Tennis Federation.
He stated he was excited to compete on the courts the place he performed as a toddler.
“It’s a gift, so I don’t have to prove anything to anyone,” he stated. “I’m still a former football player enjoying a sport that I played from a very young age.”
He cited amongst his tennis heroes Uruguay’s Diego Perez, Marcelo Filippini, and Pablo Cuevas, but additionally expressed admiration for Spanish legend Rafael Nadal, whom he described as a “fighter.”
Having good time
The Uruguay Open, a part of the ATP’s second-tier Challenger Tour, is the nation’s largest males’s skilled tennis event.
Besides Coria, it is going to additionally function fellow top-100 gamers Francisco Cerúndolo and Thiago Monteiro.
“I try to prepare in the best possible way, but I am clear about the fact that I am not at the level of professional players,” stated Forlan.
“First, there is a significant age difference, even though I am in good condition physically.”
He added that he knew “it will not be easy at all and that those who come here come to win.”
“I do that in every sport, all the more so at the professional level,” he stated, promising to do his finest “and have a good time.”
Over the course of his membership profession, Forlan was twice Spain’s La Liga prime scorer.
He additionally received the Premier League with Manchester United in 2003, the Europa League with Atletico seven years later, and helped Uruguay win the 2011 Copa America for a file fifteenth time.
Forlan stated that whereas he had “greatly enjoyed” his time on the pitch, he performs “much more tennis” now.
“The truth is that I would never have imagined today that I would have the opportunity to play tennis at a professional level, not even close,” he stated.
“It’s a sport that I play and that I have fun with, but I don’t dominate it in the way I did football,” he stated.
Source: www.dailysabah.com