Diego Forlan is best known for his role in Uruguay’s run to fourth place at the 2010 World Cup as well as his stints at Manchester United and Atletico Madrid. Now the former professional footballer has joined the ITF World Tennis Tour (WTT) Masters.

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 thus far as he competed in the Men's Singles 45+ and Men's Doubles 45+ of the MT1000 Lima (15^th – 22^nd June).

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 the Singles, Forlan rolled through the first three rounds with the loss of just nine games before he finally came up short against the third seed in the Quarterfinals.

Alongside compatriot Alberto Brause in the Doubles, Forlan performed even better, as the pair took out the second seeds in the Quarterfinals and fourth seeds in the Semifinals, before they defeated the top seeds to clinch the title.  

Given this impressive performance, Forlan has moved up to a career high ranking of 203 in Singles and 94 in Doubles. 

Although he is only at an early stage of his tennis journey, if his career in professional football is anything to go by, it will not be long until he reaches the top of this sport too. 

You can view all the results from the MT1000 Lima here: MT1000 Lima 2024 Tennis Tournament | ITF (itftennis.com)