WATCH: Retired soccer star Diego Forlan officially makes Challenger debut in Uruguay

Uruguay’s 2010 World Cup hero Diego Forlan was once again met by stands full of adoring fans as he stepped out onto the field of play on Wednesday evening.

But for the retired soccer star, the moment marked a major “first” as he made his surprise ATP Challenger Tour debut in Montevideo at the age of 45, competing in doubles alongside Federico Coria.

Read More: Retired soccer star Diego Forlan, 45, set for ATP debut at Uruguay Challenger

“If you asked me when I was playing football if I was going to play a professional tournament on the ATP, I wouldn’t have imagined that,” Forlan told the Tour’s official website ahead of the match.

“Playing with the professionals for just one match, I will be enjoying it. Having the opportunity … to be a professional football player and to be a professional (tennis) player, just for one match… For me, it’s a privilege.”

The former Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Manchester United man was considered by many to one of the greatest strikers of his generation, and had racked up several scoring awards by the time he retired from professional soccer back in 2019. Six years later, the lifelong tennis fan—who enjoyed watching Boris Becker, Ivan Lendl, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras—began to compete on the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour.

Right-footed in soccer but left-handed in tennis, the Uruguayan was awarded a main draw wild card into the Montevideo Challenger last month and announced his partnership with Argentina’s Coria.

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Unfortunately for them, the experience was over quickly with Boris Arias and Federico Zeballos charging through 6-1, 6-2 in just 49 minutes. But you couldn’t tell the result by judging from Forlan’s face, as the 45-year-old was beaming afterward when addressing fans in the stands, and heaped effusive praise for partner Coria during their post-match press conference.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to play with Fede. It’s not easy for him to enter these tournaments with an amateur beside him,” Forlan acknowledged.

“I hadn’t even imagined, let alone dreamed of this. It’s wonderful to have played against professionals—it takes courage to do it...

“The atmosphere on this court, which I love so much, was incredible. My friends, my family were here... It was very special, and I enjoyed it. I felt like a tennis player for a moment.”