The former Uruguayan soccer player, Diego Forlan, He made his debut on Wednesday as a tennis player on the ATP with a 6-1, 6-2 defeat against the pair made up of Bolivians Boris Arias and Federico Zeballos, who advanced on the clay of the Uruguay Opena Challengers series tournament.
The Bolivian duo is ranked 109th in the world ranking and is seeking its 15th title.
“From this club, from all of life and from Uruguay, always, Diego Forlán,” was the phrase with which the former soccer player was introduced at the most important men’s professional tennis tournament in this South American country. The former Uruguayan national team, as on so many other important nights in his sports career, entered the court dressed in light blue.
“I enjoyed it quite a bit. I knew that the probability (of a defeat) was very high, that it was going to be a difficult game for us. It was logical. So I prepared myself to, at least, not have such a bad time and be able to enjoy it. And That’s what I did,” said the winner of two golden boots in Spain as a footballer. “So I’m really grateful to all the people who came. They filled the stadium. Well, I hope they enjoyed it a little bit.”
His first ball went into the net; the second, long. The first point lasted one minute and went to the Bolivians. The River Plate strategy was as expected: the Argentine Federico Coria, with erratic performance, was positioned as a long-distance runner and Forlán at the top.
However, the experience of the rivals and the powerful shots of Boris Arias, defined by Forlán himself as “a bullet” after the match, prevailed in the 47 minutes that the match lasted.
The soccer fans made themselves felt in the central court of the Carrasco Lawn Tennis Club, with loud celebrations for each point scored by the blonde athlete, tonight wearing a cap. There were whistles to try to twist the referee’s decision on some fair balls and a chorus of “Let’s go Diego” that repeatedly bothered the central judge.
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