Diego Forlan interview: Sir Alex bet on me to beat Van Nistelrooy at tennis – he won

When it came to the most lethal shots, Diego Forlán had the upper hand on interim Manchester United head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy - on the tennis court.

Now 45, former United striker Forlán has not put his feet up since retiring from football, and earlier this month he made his professional tennis debut, playing an ATP doubles event in his home town of Montevideo. And as he embarks on his latest sporting adventure, he has been recalling the times his two sporting loves intersected, including the moment Sir Alex Ferguson backed him to overcome his Dutch strike partner.

“On a pre-season tour in Oregon, USA, we played on a Nike tennis court with Van Nistelrooy,” Forlán said. “It was just a tie-break. Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes were spectating. Even Sir Alex Ferguson came over. Everyone was betting on me and, even though I was better than Ruud, I was under pressure.

“You could tell he’d played at one time or another. But I had more technique, more resources. I said to myself: ‘I have to win’. Sir Alex bet on me. And he won.”

If you want a more high-profile name from his time on the court though, none came any bigger than Diego Maradona.

On the other football stars he has crossed racquets with, Forlán said: “I’ve been lucky to play with several friends and team-mates. Once we played a doubles match. I was playing with Kun Agüero against Maxi Rodríguez and Fernando Belasteguín, the star of padel. And then, many years ago, I played against Maradona. He was a competitive guy like no other.”

Forlán first took up tennis in his early years, claiming he got his first racquet at the age of two. He says that “genetic memory” from that time has aided him in ramping up his return to tennis, helping him compete with much younger players.

After leaving United, Forlán played in Spain, Italy, Brazil, Japan, India and Hong Kong. But it was upon his return to Uruguay that he got back to his other sporting love.

“When I returned to Uruguay a few years ago I had the opportunity to play at Carrasco Lawn Tennis Club in Montevideo, the club where I first trained, and little by little training became a competition,” he said. In 2023, Forlán made his ITF Masters Tour debut. He is currently ranked 113th in the world in the over-45s category.

“I now train four days a week. Winning made me want to improve, to go further, and last year I started training through Carlos Obregón. He told me about the ITF1000. I went to four tournaments, played a final, two semi-finals and a quarter-final and then this opportunity to play doubles came along. It was through Nacho Carou, a Davis Cup player for Uruguay. He always told me: ‘Come on, Diego, let’s play a tournament together’.

“At the beginning I avoided him, I said no. Two months ago, he sent me a picture of Fede Coria saying he wanted to play the Challenger of Uruguay with me. I thought it was just a joke. But it wasn’t. Diego Pérez, the tournament organiser, confirmed that they were waiting for me to play the doubles. In the end I had no choice but to accept. It’s a bit dizzying at first, it’s a huge challenge, but I’m not a tennis player either. I like it, I play it, I’m good at amateur level, but I have nothing to lose. If people see me, they will see someone who has improved a lot, but I am an ex-professional football player.”

It is a time of upheaval at Forlán’s former club United, and he looks back on his time in Manchester with great fondness.

“I feel lucky because I was at one of the best clubs in the world,” he recalled. “I won three titles: the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Community Shield. I remember with special fondness a last-minute goal against Chelsea, another against Southampton, a volley I scored against Glasgow Rangers in the Champions League and, of course, the two goals I scored against Liverpool at Anfield.

“There is no normal explanation [for the club’s recent travails]. At least I am not able to find one. It’s a shame that Manchester United have been in the shadows for so many years because their current position doesn’t reflect their status or match the weight of their crest and their history. The good thing about this club is that it never loses hope, and I have no doubt that it will once again be among the best.”

On the sacking of Erik ten Hag , Forlán describes it as a “logical consequence of the team’s poor form”. He acknowledges the Cups won, but felt that change was needed as the club’s progress slowed down.

On the prospect of Ruben Amorim taking over at Old Trafford, Forlán said: “I have no information, but he is undoubtedly one of the most promising managers in Europe. He is young but with clear ideas, he has managed to put Sporting on the map and not only the results but also the way he has got there are a guarantee that he will make the leap to Old Trafford. I think he is a good bet. I hope he can adapt quickly to England, to the Premier League and that he knows how to detect the haemorrhages of Manchester United to start growing and dreaming.”