In the South American nation of Uruguay, sports are an integral part of its vibrant culture. Its stars are a closely knit group and that fraternity was on display on Saturday at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Montevideo.
Diego Forlan, a former legend of Uruguayan football and one of the greatest players in the world, attended the draw ceremony at the $75,000 clay court event. Alongside countryman and top seed Pablo Cuevas and former champion Guido Pella, Forlan helped make the singles draw for the 13th edition of the tournament.
“It´s a great chance to help this tournament, which is held in my home club, the Carrasco Lawn Tennis Club," said Forlan, an avid tennis fan. "I actually started playing tennis here and it's where I spend a lot of my free time playing (with Davis Cup captain Enrique Perez)."
Forlan competed for Uruguay's national team from 2002-2014, scoring 36 international goals. He received the Golden Ball as the best player at the 2010 World Cup.
The 38-year-old will team up with Cuevas on Wednesday night in an exhibition match against Pella and Argentine actor Martin Bossi. Cuevas is a two-time titlist at his hometown Uruguay Open, having prevailed in both 2009 and 2014. Pella won the title in 2015.
Hoy @DiegoForlan7 junto a los primeros cabezas de serie, @PabloCuevas22 y @guido_pella , en el sorteo del cuadro. 🇺🇾@ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/rKEGClRjXA
— Uruguay Open (@uruguayopen) November 4, 2017