 | |
| Country (sports) |  Iran  France |
|---|---|
| Residence | Paris, France |
| Born | 26 April 1956 Arak, Iran |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Turned pro | 1974 |
| Retired | 2003[N 1] |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $368,780 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 23–47 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 192 (9 May 1988) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | Q1 (1977) |
| French Open | 2R (1981) |
| Wimbledon | Q1 (1976) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 108–139 |
| Career titles | 2 |
| Highest ranking | No. 31 (6 July 1987) |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (1977Jan) |
| French Open | F (1989) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (1988) |
| US Open | 3R (1987) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 1R (1990) |
Mansour Bahrami (Persian: منصور بهرامی; born April 26, 1956) is a former professional tennis player. He is Iranian with dual French nationality since 1989. While only moderately successful on the ATP Tour, his showmanship has made him a long-standing and popular figure in invitational tournaments.
Tennis career
Bahrami reached the Davis Cup team at the age of 16 but in the late 1970s the Islamic Revolution within Iran led to tennis being viewed as a capitalist and elitist sport and therefore banned.[1] He spent the next three years playing backgammon as all tennis courts were closed down. In desperation, he fled to France with his life savings, of which he gambled in a casino and lost.[2]
While his best days were already behind him, and never having maximized his potential in singles, he became a successful doubles player, winning two tournaments and reaching the 1989 French Open doubles final in 1989 with Éric Winogradsky.[3][2]
Senior tournaments
Bahrami has been a mainstay of the seniors invitational tennis circuit for more than 25 years.[1] Bahrami is considered to have "found his niche" on the ATP Champions Tour,[2] where his flamboyant style and propensity for trick shots chimed with the tour's more entertainment-oriented remit. In reference to his showmanship, his 2009 English-language autobiography was titled The Court Jester.[4]
ATP career finals
Doubles: 12 (2–10)
| Winner - Legend |
|---|
| Grand Slam (0–1) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0–0) |
| ATP Masters Series (0–2) |
| ATP Tour (2–7) |
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | 1986 | ATP Bordeaux | Clay |  Ronald Agénor
|
 Jordi Arrese David de Miguel
|
5–7, 4–6 |
| Loss | 0–2 | 1986 | MercedesCup | Clay |  Diego Pérez
|
 Hans Gildemeister  Andrés Gómez
|
4–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 0–3 | 1986 | Paris Masters | Carpet (i) | Diego Pérez
|
 Peter Fleming John McEnroe
|
3–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 0–4 | 1987 | Monte-Carlo Masters | Clay |  Michael Mortensen
|
Hans Gildemeister Andrés Gómez
|
2–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 0–5 | 1987 | Geneva Open | Clay | Diego Pérez
|
 Ricardo Acioly Luiz Mattar
|
6–3, 4–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 1–5 | 1988 | Geneva Open | Clay |  Tomáš Šmíd
|
 Gustavo Luza Guillermo Pérez Roldán
|
6-4 6-3 |
| Loss | 1–6 | 1988 | Toulouse Grand Prix | Hard (i) | Guy Forget
|
 Tom Nijssen  Ricki Osterthun
|
3–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1–7 | 1989 | French Open | Clay | Éric Winogradsky
|
Jim Grabb Patrick McEnroe
|
4–6, 6–2, 4–6, 6–7(5–7) |
| Loss | 1–8 | 1989 | Geneva Open | Clay | Guillermo Pérez Roldán
|
Andrés Gómez Alberto Mancini
|
3–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 2–8 | 1989 | Toulouse Grand Prix | Hard (i) | Éric Winogradsky
|
Todd Nelson  Roger Smith
|
6–2, 7–6 |
| Loss | 2–9 | 1990 | ATP Bordeaux | Clay | Yannick Noah
|
Tomás Carbonell  Libor Pimek
|
3–6, 7–6, 2-6 |
| Loss | 2–10 | 1991 | Copenhagen Open | Carpet (i) |  Andrei Olhovskiy
|
 Todd Woodbridge Mark Woodforde
|
3–6, 1–6 |
Challenger finals
Doubles: 5 (3–2)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partnering | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 1986 | Chartres, France | Clay | Éric Winogradsky
|
Javier Frana Gustavo Guerrero
|
2–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 1. | 1986 | Neu-Ulm, West Germany | Clay | Jaroslav Navrátil
|
Menno Oosting Huub van Boeckel
|
7–5, 6–1 |
| Winner | 2. | 1987 | Clermont-Ferrand, France | Clay |  Claudio Mezzadri
|
Christophe Lesage Jean-Marc Piacentile
|
6–3, 7–5 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 1987 | Neu-Ulm, West Germany | Clay | Michael Mortensen
|
Jaromir Becka Udo Riglewski
|
WEA |
| Winner | 3. | 1990 | Dijon, France | Carpet (i) | Rodolphe Gilbert
|
 Jan Apell Peter Nyborg
|
7-5, 6-2 |
Bibliography and filmography
- Bahrami, Mansour (2006). Le court des miracles (in French). Paris: Le Cherche Midi. ISBN 2749107652.
- Bahrami, Mansour; Issartel, Jean (2009). The court jester : my story. Central Milton Keynes: TennisMania Trust, in association with AuthorHouse. ISBN 1438987943.
- The Man behind the Moustache, DVD (2009).
Notes
References
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mansour Bahrami. |
- ^ a b Tilley, Joanna (3 July 2013). "Bahrami: Iran's solo tennis representative". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
- ^ a b c ATP profile
- ^ MacDonald, Geoff (30 January 2010). "Islamic Republic Crushed the Dreams of Iran's Top Tennis Players". New York Times. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
- ^ Bahrami, Mansour; Issartel, Jean (2009). The court jester : my story. Central Milton Keynes: TennisMania Trust, in association with AuthorHouse. ISBN 1438987943.
