 | |
| 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[edit]
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, 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[edit]
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[edit]
Doubles: 12 (2–10)[edit]
| 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[edit]
Doubles: 5 (3–2)[edit]
| 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[edit]
- 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[edit]
- ^ Bahrami retired from the main ATP Tour in 2003. As of 2019[update] he continues to appear at invitational events.
References[edit]
 | 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.
External links[edit]
- Mansour Bahrami at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Mansour Bahrami at the International Tennis Federation
- Official website
