Diego Forlan suffers huge defeat on shock new sport debut – but the former Man United star insists he will ‘keep playing’

Retired former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan endured a miserable professional debut in another sport after making a first appearance in his native Uruguay.

Forlan, 45, has remained active since retiring from professional football in 2019 after iconic spells at top European clubs such as United, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan.

But, instead of enjoying his post-playing retirement with a glass of wine and the occasional round of golf, Forlan has instead been training to become a professional tennis player.

The Uruguayan had previously played in the ITF Masters Tour last year and made his professional ATP Challenger Tour debut on Thursday after being handed a wild card for the Uruguay Open in Montevideo.

Forlan hails from the region of Uruguay where the competition is being played out and received an encore of support from home fans as he partnered Argentine player Federico Coria in a doubles match.

Forlan made his professional tennis debut in his native Uruguay but lost in straight sets

The pair took on Bolivian duo Boris Arias and Federico Zeballos but quickly found themselves heading out of the competition after being beat in just 47 minutes.

Forlan and his partner won just three games across two sets as they were dominated in the 6-1 6-2 defeat that marks a miserable professional tennis debut for the former Premier League winner.

However, Forlan did impress in several moments throughout the clash, at one time demonstrating a beautiful touch to win a point at the net. 

Speaking after the encounter, the 45-year-old insisted he is going to keep playing and hailed the experience as ‘delightful’.

‘Everyone starts to speculate when you start a new career, right?’ he told reporters.

Forlan partnered Argentine player Federico Coria (left) in a doubles match in Uruguay

The 45-year-old plans to keep playing tennis in a bid to make future competitive appearances

‘The next thing is to keep playing, enjoying, and playing at the ITF level, where there is really good competition. The truth is that it’s a delightful experience.’

Before dedicating his career to football, Forlan was also talented on the tennis courts but ultimately decided to focus on kicking balls rather than hitting them with rackets. 

It proved to be the right choice with the striker going on to enjoy a 20-year career in football and lifting several major honours along the way.

Meanwhile, Forlan was cheered by supporters despite losing on his tennis debut as local fans sought to grab photos and autographs with the Uruguayan after the match.