.
Now 45, former United striker Forlan has not put his feet up since retiring from football, and earlier this month he made his professional tennis debut, playing an ATP doubles event in his hometown of Montevideo. And as he embarks on his latest sporting adventure, he has been recalling the times his two sporting loves intersected, including the moment Sir Alex Ferguson backed him to overcome his Dutch strike partner.
“On a pre-season tour in Oregon, USA, we played on a Nike tennis court with Van Nistelrooy,” Forlan said. “It was just a tie-break. Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes were spectating. Even Sir Alex Ferguson came over. Everyone was betting on me and, even though I was better than Ruud, I was under pressure.
“You could tell he’d played at one time or another. But I had more technique, more resources. I said to myself: ‘I have to win’. Sir Alex bet on me. And he won.”
If you want a more high-profile name from his time on the court though, none came any bigger than Diego Maradona.
On the other football stars he has crossed racquets with, Forlan said: “I’ve been lucky to play with several friends and teammates. Once we played a doubles match. I was playing with Kun Agüero against Maxi Rodríguez and Fernando Belasteguín, the star of padel. And then, many years ago, I played against Maradona. He was a competitive guy like no other.”
Forlan first took up tennis in his early years, claiming he got his first racquet at the age of two. He says that “genetic memory” from that time has aided him in ramping up his return to tennis, helping him compete with much younger players.
After leaving United, Forlan has played in Spain, Italy, Brazil, Japan, India and Hong Kong. …
Read More
