On the day Ruud van Nistelrooy was asked to take temporary charge of Manchester United, one of his former strike partners was busy preparing for his own new sporting challenge.
“In the morning I was doing some serves and practicing a bit,” Diego Forlan told Mail Sport from his home in Montevideo, Uruguay, where he will make his professional tennis debut next month. ‘When I got in the car and turned on the radio, I heard the news. I was surprised.’
Forlan was Van Nistelrooy’s teammate at Old Trafford between 2002 and 2004 – and football wasn’t the only sport the Uruguayan and Dutch frontmen played together.
“I remember we played a tiebreaker once during pre-season in 2003 in Portland at Nike headquarters,” the 45-year-old recalled. “David Gill was playing tennis with another director and I saw them playing and they gave us their rackets.
“Everyone was trying to see who would win. I had all the pressure! Ruud didn’t play as much as me, but he still knew how to play. In the end I won, but it wasn’t easy. I made some double faults and gave him some points.
Diego Forlan will make his professional tennis debut next month at the Uruguay Open
Forlan’s former Manchester United teammate and striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has taken interim charge of the Red Devils following the sacking of Erik ten Hag on Monday.
‘The other players knew I played as a child, but they didn’t know what my level was at that time. It was only 15 minutes before a workout, so it was a bit of fun.
‘On a day off or a weekend when we didn’t have a match, I played indoors in Manchester with David Lloyd.
‘Tennis is very physical, so as a football player you have to be careful. I didn’t play like I play today, I just played for entertainment. But I don’t think Sir Alex knew!’
Forlan has been combining his love of tennis and football since the age of two, when he first picked up a racket at the Carrasco club in Montevideo, where his father Pablo, a former Uruguay international defender, was a member. His best tennis memory to date also came at that club, when he shared the court with one Diego Maradona.
“I met him in 1993 when he came to Uruguay and we played football and tennis doubles at this club,” says Forlan. ‘Imagine a child getting the chance to be around him and play football and tennis. It was incredible.
“He was very competitive and it was a fun match. I remember we played on Court 10 in Carrasco. I have a photo of that moment.’
Forlan could have pursued a career in tennis, but chose to follow in the footsteps of Maradona and his father. His first club was Independiente in Argentina, before moving to United, where he scored 17 goals in 98 appearances. Forlan enjoyed his most productive spells in La Liga, with Villarreal and Atletico Madrid.
He also won 112 caps for Uruguay, scoring 36 goals and appearing in three World Cups, including winning the Golden Ball for player of the tournament in 2010, when he became joint top scorer.
He won the Europa League and two European Golden Boots after leaving Old Trafford in 2004
When Forlan retired from football in 2019 at the age of 40, he never dreamed of a second coming as a sportsman.
“If you had asked me while playing whether I would play a professional tournament on the ATP, I wouldn’t have thought so,” admits Forlan, who names Boris Becker as his boyhood tennis hero.
‘When I finished my career and retired from football, I started playing tennis at my local club and started playing and participating in different tournaments around Montevideo.
‘I’m left-handed and hit hard. I have good service and I am working on that. I try to use my legs more and be more powerful.
‘My coach is Enrique ‘Bebe’ Perez. He coached the Davis Cup for over twenty years, and he coached Alex Corretja, Nicolas Lapentti and many great players.
‘If possible, I try to train for two hours every day. Last year I started playing in the ITF Masters and played in the 45 and over category, and it was a lot of fun.”
That has resulted in Forlan receiving a wildcard into the Uruguay Open in Montevideo, a sanctioned ATP event that is part of the second-tier Challenger Tour, which starts on November 11. His doubles partner will be Federico Coria, the 32-year-old Argentinian who is world number 104 in singles and has a career-high of 49.
“A few months ago, Ignacio Carou, who plays Davis Cup for Uruguay, sent me a photo of Coria and said, ‘I have your partner for the Challenger in Uruguay,’” says Forlan. “I thought it was a joke, but he said, ‘I’m not kidding, he wants to play with you,’ and now here I am.
The 45-year-old will be joined at the tournament by world number 101 Federico Coria.
“When I play with the professionals, I know it will be difficult. I’m far from the level they play. But in doubles you can play at least half the court and if you have a good partner he will help you.
‘It will still be very tough, but I have nothing to lose. I am not a professional tennis player. I am an ex-professional football player. So I’m going to enjoy it and the outcome doesn’t matter.
‘It is a privilege to be a professional footballer and professional tennis player – even if only for one match.’
One game is also all Van Nistelrooy is likely to be in charge at United, with Ruben Amorim expected to be named boss after tonight’s Carabao Cup tie with Leicester. But Forlan is backing his old teammate to move on and have a successful managerial career.
“Ruud did very well at PSV before coming to Manchester United,” says Forlan. ‘He was a great football player. Of course, it is not the same thing to be a great footballer and a great manager. But if he gets the chance, you never know, maybe he’ll be as great a coach as he was a player.”
Amorim’s first game in charge could be Sunday’s home game against Chelsea, a match that brings back fond memories for Forlan, who scored a famous injury-time winner against the Blues in January 2003. United won the Premier League that year – a trophy that has eluded the club since Sir Alex Ferguson left 11 years ago.
Forlan believes Van Nistelrooy will have a successful career as a manager, although his interim spell at United is expected to last just one game.
Forlan has been disappointed by United’s scourge since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson
“It’s disappointing,” Forlan said of United’s demise. “When Sir Alex retired it was a big blow to the club for many years. When he left, so many things were left with him.
‘Yet they have managed to win things, but everyone wants the Premier League and the Champions League. I agree with that, because as a big club you expect to fight for the big things. Hopefully they will compete for that first place again soon.’