After a 6-1, 6-2 defeat in his doubles tennis debut at the Uruguay Open alongside Argentine Federico Coria, former Uruguayan footballer Diego Forlán said he knew it would be a "tough" match but that he "enjoyed it quite a bit" and plans to continue competing in amateur ITF tournaments.

"I enjoyed it quite a bit; I knew there was a high probability it would be a tough match for us, that was clear, so I prepared myself to not have too hard a time and to enjoy it, and that’s what I did. I’m grateful to everyone who came, the stadium was packed," he said at a press conference after the match against Boris Arias and Federico Zeballos.

Happy to have had the experience of playing with a professional like Coria — ranked 101 in ATP singles — thanks to an invitation from tournament director Diego Pérez, Forlán said he was joined by "the whole family" and "many friends."

"I hope they enjoyed it a bit. With Zeballos and Arias, two great doubles players, they at least saw some nice tennis, some plays from Fede, a few from me. There was some good entertainment," he added.

Reflecting on the challenge of playing tennis, a sport he practiced from childhood to adolescence before pursuing a football career — like his father, grandfather, and brother — the two-time Golden Boot winner admitted that it "isn't easy."

"I had played an exhibition match in 2017 and 2018. I didn’t have the same tennis skills or experience on the court back then. Even though I was used to playing football in front of over 60,000 people, it's a sport I controlled (...), whereas with something new, there are more doubts," he said.

Forlán and Coria lost 6-1, 6-2 on Wednesday in their Uruguay Open doubles debut against Bolivians Arias and Zeballos.

The Río de la Plata duo, who drew cheers and chants from the crowd filling Carrasco Lawn Tennis in Montevideo to watch the 2010 World Cup’s best player make his professional tennis debut at 45, suffered a tough defeat at the hands of a doubles pair who won comfortably.

The efforts of Coria, ranked 101 in ATP singles and 413 in doubles, who dazzled with several winning shots, and the Uruguayan — a left-handed player with the racket, despite being right-footed in football — who was a singles finalist at the MT400 in Asunción, were not enough to overcome the solid Bolivian duo ranked 109 in doubles.