PAOLO MALDINI is hailed as one of sport’s true legends – and he has yet again gone on to back this up.
The former AC Milan and Italy legend swapped his football boots for a tennis racket, and will make his debut, aged 48, in a professional tennis event.
Maldini, along with Stefano Landonio, won a qualifying competition for the ATP Milan Challenger to bag a wildcard spot.
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The pair will now challenge for the £30,000 Challenger tournament.
Maldini’s playing partner Landonio told UBI Tennis: “The conditions were good for play.
“[It]was our first competitive engagement, but with Paolo we had already played some performances for good events .”
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Maldini played almost 650 games during a 24-year playing career, as well as amassing 126 caps for Italy.
Since retiring from football in 2009, the former centre-half he took up tennis, employed Landonio as his coach, and has appeared in a number of charity tennis exhibitions.
Speaking back in 2015 to Sport360, Maldini said: “I have other interests and business outside of football so I just want to have my own schedule and see what real life is.
“I can enjoy my family because I had been away for so long. I play tennis now. I love it. I did boxing for three years and that was very nice.
“It’s a hard but great, great sport. I really love the training aspect of it.”
And with his birthday, his 49th, starting on the first day of the Aspria Tennis Cup tournament on June 26th, there could be a celebration racket in Milan.
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