![]() | |
Country (sports) | ![]() ![]() |
---|---|
Residence | Paris, France |
Born | Arak, Iran | 26 April 1956
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 |
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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 | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
5–7, 4–6 |
Loss | 0–2 | 1986 | MercedesCup | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
4–6, 3–6 |
Loss | 0–3 | 1986 | Paris Masters | Carpet (i) | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
3–6, 2–6 |
Loss | 0–4 | 1987 | Monte-Carlo Masters | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
2–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 0–5 | 1987 | Geneva Open | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–3, 4–6, 2–6 |
Win | 1–5 | 1988 | Geneva Open | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6-4 6-3 |
Loss | 1–6 | 1988 | Toulouse Grand Prix | Hard (i) | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
3–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 1–7 | 1989 | French Open | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
4–6, 6–2, 4–6, 6–7(5–7) |
Loss | 1–8 | 1989 | Geneva Open | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
3–6, 5–7 |
Win | 2–8 | 1989 | Toulouse Grand Prix | Hard (i) | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–2, 7–6 |
Loss | 2–9 | 1990 | ATP Bordeaux | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
3–6, 7–6, 2-6 |
Loss | 2–10 | 1991 | Copenhagen Open | Carpet (i) | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
2–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 1. | 1986 | Neu-Ulm, West Germany | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
7–5, 6–1 |
Winner | 2. | 1987 | Clermont-Ferrand, France | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–3, 7–5 |
Runner-up | 2. | 1987 | Neu-Ulm, West Germany | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
WEA |
Winner | 3. | 1990 | Dijon, France | Carpet (i) | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
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.