After falling 6-1 and 6-2 in his tennis doubles debut at the Uruguay Open along with the Argentine Federico Coria, the Uruguayan former soccer player Diego Forlan (45) said he knew it would be a “difficult” match but that he enjoyed it “quite a bit” and that he will continue competing in ITF amateur tournaments.
“I enjoyed it a lot, I knew that the probability was very high that it was going to be a difficult game for us, it was logical, so I prepared myself to at least not have such a bad time and to be able to enjoy it and that’s what I did. So grateful to all the people who came, they filled the stadium,” he said at a press conference after losing to Boris Arias and Federico Zeballos.
Glad of having been able to live the experience of playing a match with a professional like Coria -located in 101st place in the ATP ranking in singles-, thanks to an invitation from the tournament director, Diego Pérez, Forlán said that “the whole family” and “many friends” accompanied him.
“I hope you enjoyed it a little bit, but hey, I think that with Zeballos and Arias, who are two great doubles players, at least you saw some nice tennis and some plays by Fede, some of mine, a few that there were, at least there was a nice entertainment,” he added.
Coria and Forlán, during the doubles match
On the challenge of facing a tennis match, a sport that he practiced from his childhood to his adolescence, before dedicating himself to soccer – which his father, his grandfather and his brother also played -, the two-time Golden Boot winner He said “it’s not easy at all.”
“I had to come to play an exhibition in 2017 and 2018. Obviously I did not have the tennis that I have today and the experience on a field, even though I was used to playing soccer with more than 60,000 people, but it is a sport that you master (…), when you have one that is new there are more doubts,” he said. Forlán and Coria fell this Wednesday 6-1 and 6-2 in their doubles debut at the Uruguay Open against the Bolivians Arias and Zeballos.
The duo from Rio de la Plata, who monopolized the applause and chants of the public that filled the stands of the Carrasco Lawn Tennis in Montevideo to see the best player at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa debut in professional tennis at the age of 45, suffered a tough defeat at the hands of a duo doubles player who won with a comfortable score.
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The efforts of a Coria located in position 101 in the ATP ranking in singles and 413 in doubles who showed off with several winning points and of the Uruguayan who, left-handed with the racket – despite kicking with the right in soccer – was an individual finalist of the MT400 from Asunción, were not enough to overcome the solidity of those ranked 109 in doubles.
