Footballer Paolo Maldini all set to make his professional Tennis debut

Footballer Paolo Maldini all set to make his professional Tennis debut

SportsCafe Desk

By SportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

41
no photo

AC Milan defender Paolo Maldini will make his debut in professional Tennis on his 49th birthday at the Aspria Tennis Cup scheduled to start on June 26th in Milan. The former footballer will accompany Stefano Landonio, a former tennis professional, in the doubles category of the ATP Challenger event.

The duo of Maldini and Landonio have earned a wild card entry in the ATP event and the 45-year-old LandonioĀ heaped praises on the footballer for being as good in tennis as he was on the football field.Ā 

"Paolo's gifted with a good serve in addition to some decent shots," he told the Tennis Italiano website. "He's also improving his volleys and while he may not be catching the eye in any particular part of his game, he does not have any weaknesses either."Ā 

Landonio also stated that the Italian footballer could have made a career in tennis had he taken up the sport earlier.

"Since he only started playing five or six years ago, there are some deficits in terms of technique," he said. "If he'd started working on his technique earlier, then who knows?

"Certainly in view of his background, he's got extraordinary mental and physical strength. Psychologically, he never suffers in the slightest in delicate situations -- he's really strong."

Maldini won 26 trophies with AC Milan which include five European cups and the 48-year old featured in a recordĀ 647 Serie A fixtures before retiring in 2009.

Get updates! Follow us on

Open all