Diego Forlan's professional tennis debut begins with loss at Uruguay Open

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Former soccer star Diego Forlan's newfound career in professional tennis started with a doubles loss Wednesday at the Uruguay Open.

The 45-year-old Forlan and Federico Coria of Argentina lost 6-1, 6-2 to Boris Arias and Federico Zeballos in the first round of the ATP’s second-tier challenger tour.

Forlan and Coria were granted wild-card entries to play doubles in the tournament.

The Uruguayan striker retired from soccer in 2019 after playing with top clubs such as Manchester United, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan. Forlan was the 2010 World Cup's best player and joint highest scorer; and netted twice in the 2011 Copa America final to help Uruguay win its first continental trophy in 16 years.

For the past five years, Forlan has taken part in amateur master's tennis tournaments, and had some success that earned him the invitation to play in Uruguay's biggest professional tournament.