Mansour Bahrami (born 26 April 1956) is a former professional tennis player. He is Iranian with French nationality since 1989. While not highly successful on the ATP Tour, his showmanship has made him a long-standing and popular figure in invitational tournaments.

Early life

As a child in Iran, Mansour Bahrami taught himself to play tennis using an old metal frying pan and other kitchen utensils and did not own his first tennis racquet until he was aged 13. In his early 20s, following Iran's Islamic Revolution in the late 1970s, tennis was viewed as a capitalist and elitist sport and therefore banned. Because all tennis courts in Iran were closed down, he spent the next three years playing backgammon daily in Tehran, until he won a local tournament with the prize of airplane flights to Athens. He paid to have the tickets changed to Nice and left his girlfriend and family behind. France offered Bahrami the opportunity to play small tournaments, but he saw that the cost of living was quite high and needed a way to maintain his finances until he could begin winning prize money. He gambled his savings in a casino in Nice and lost the lot on his first night. When his French visa ran out and without a carte de séjour (residence permit), he became a political refugee, an illegal immigrant, was constantly in fear of the police, regularly slept rough, and was forced to make food last for days. He relied on the financial support of friends until he was able to support himself. In May 2023, he was featured on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel describing his early life.

Tennis career

Mansour Bahrami reached the Davis Cup team at the age of 16. Due to the forced break in his tennis play from the Islamic revolution fallout, his potential in singles was never fully realized. He became a successful doubles player, winning two tournaments and reaching the 1989 French Open doubles final with Éric Winogradsky.

Senior tournaments

Bahrami has been a mainstay of the seniors invitational tennis circuit for more than 25 years. Bahrami is considered to have "found his niche" on the ATP Champions Tour, where his flamboyant, humorous style and propensity for trick shots make him a crowd favorite in the tour's more entertainment-oriented sphere. In reference to his showmanship, his 2009 English-language autobiography was titled The Court Jester. His comic turns on the court often include faking serves; slow-motion miming; hitting balls backwards between his legs, over his shoulder, or from the back; and playing while lying down, seated, or kneeling.

ATP career finals

Doubles: 12 (2–10)

Challenger finals

Doubles: 5 (3–2)

Bibliography and filmography