Diego Forlan to make professional tennis debut aged 45

Diego Forlan is set to make his professional tennis debut at the age of 45, as he prepares to play at the Uruguay Open in November.

Forlan is best known for his footballing career, which saw the striker win the Premier League with Manchester United in 2003 and the Europa League with Atletico Madrid in 2010 – among other honours.

Since retiring from professional football in 2018, the Uruguayan has been working on his tennis skills, and he has even competed on the ITF Masters tour since July 2023.

The ITF tour offers players aged 30 and over the chance to gain competitive experience, and Forlan’s next step is an ATP Challenger outing.

Forlan will play doubles with Federico Coria in Montevideo, having received a wildcard.

Coria, 30, achieved his career-best singles ranking in February 2023, reaching No 49 on the ATP tour. He has won six ATP Challenger singles titles.

The Argentine has also lifted one doubles trophy and peaked at No 238 in the world in 2021.

Forlan’s last involvement in football was as a coach; after retiring as a player, he briefly managed Penarol in 2020 and Atenas in 2021.

Both clubs play in Forlan’s native Uruguay, with the striker having represented Penarol as a youth player in the early 1990s then as a senior pro between 2015 and 2016.