Swing and miss in ex-soccer star Forlan's tennis debut

Former Uruguay striker Diego Forlan has made a losing start in his professional tennis debut at age 45.

Forlan took to the court with Argentina's Federico Cori but his doubles debut ended in defeat, losing 6-1 6-2 to Bolivia's Boris Arias and Federico Zeballos at the Uruguay Open on Wednesday.

The former footballer buckled under the pressure as the duo were outplayed by the dynamic Bolivian pair, managing just 27 points in the 47-minute match.

It was a stark contrast to the roaring applause from the sell-out crowd at the Carrasco Lawn Tennis Centre, who were hoping to see the same magic Forlan once produced on the court.

"I enjoyed it quite a lot. I knew that the possibility of it being a difficult game for us was very high. I was happy.

"It's not easy at all. I played an exhibition in 2017 and 2018 and I didn't have the experience of today," an upbeat Forlan told a press conference.

Forlan enjoyed a brilliant career with Uruguay, scoring 36 goals in 112 appearances, including a heroic run to the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup.

The former Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, Inter Milan and Manchester United player, with whom he won a Premier League title, turned his attention to tennis since hanging up his boots in 2018.

Forlan has competed in more than three 40-plus tournaments in Montevideo, also standing out in the MT1000 in Lima of the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour, but his transition from football prodigy to tennis novice will require a few more practice matches.

The Challenger Tour event continues in Montevideo from November 11-17.