Diego Forlan is best known for his stints at Manchester United and Atletico Madrid - and his role in helping Uruguay to a fourth-place finish at the 2010 World Cup.

Now, the former professional footballer has turned to competitive tennis, joining the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour.

After making his debut on the ITF Masters Tour at the MT400 Montevideo in July 2023, Forlan has competed regularly at ITF Masters tournaments in Uruguay. Last week Forlan faced his biggest test in tennis yet as he competed in the Men's Singles 45+ and Men's Doubles 45+ age categories at MT1000 Lima.

MT1000s are the highest level of events on the ITF WTT Masters below the World Championships and attract the best players aged 30 and over from across the globe.

Forlan, who won the Golden Ball at the 2010 World Cup, explained why he decided to start competing on the Masters Tour after retiring from football six years ago.

“I like to challenge myself in life. This is a different sport for me, and I really enjoy the challenge of competing against very good players from different countries.”

Forlan, who won the Premier League and FA Cup during his time at Manchester United, has also enjoyed the off-court experiences at Masters tournaments.

“Off the court it has been nice to meet people and to travel, these are aspects of the Tour that I enjoy a lot."

In singles, Forlan rolled through the first three rounds for the loss of just nine games before he finally came up short against the third seed in the quarter-finals.

In the doubles, alongside compatriot Alberto Brause in the doubles, Forlan performed even better, as the pair took out the second seeds in the quarter-finals and fourth seeds in the semi-finals, before they defeated the top seeds to clinch the title.  

Forlan has moved up to a career-high ranking of 203 in singles and 94 in doubles as a result of his performance.

Though only at the early stages of his tennis journey, if his career in professional football is anything to go by, it surely won't be long until he reaches the upper echelons of the Masters Tennis Tour.

You can view all the results from the MT1000 Lima here: MT1000 Lima 2024 Tennis Tournament