I can't tell you how many games I've lost that I probably should have won because you're joking around. Every time I saw a policeman coming, I changed direction. When the audience laughs, I am the happiest man in the whole world. Mansour Bahrami still doesn't know he has it, but the sport draws his attention so much that he starts working as a ball catcher and experimenting with whatever he has at hand: pans, boards, kitchen utensils and any type of ball, even if it isn't tennis, to mimic what you see on the courts. 403 Dislike Share Save. As is often the case in all great stories, things get complicated: after the shah's overthrow, Ayatollah Khomeini comes to power in 1980 and bans tennis in Iran as a decadent Western activity. I just watched ordinary people at the club play and that is how I learned to play tennis, explains Bahrami. Mansour Bahrami, former professional tennis player is widely recognized as one of the most entertaining players on the senior level. My favourite is when he would serve, jump the net . Wimbledon has given fans some ever lasting memories and some funny moments along the years. His tourist visa expires and Mansour becomes an illegal immigrant. Live scores service at Sofascore livescore offers sports live scores, results and tables. Aware that he is already a mature player, Mansour Bahrami invents a new persona based on the traits that characterize his style of play and begins to participate in events and exhibition matches. While only moderately successful on the ATP Tour, his showmanship has made him a long-standing and popular figure in invitational tournaments. When I played for example in Hamburg against Boris Becker (number one in the world at that time), the German people where all for me. We have noticed that there is an issue with your subscription billing details. However, the hardest days of his career were still to come. At the age of 33 he finally was a free man ready to travel and to entertain tennis fans all over the world with his huge talent and practical jokes. But I am happy. In desperation, he fled to France with his life savings, which he gambled in a casino and lost. And all I want to do is to play tennis. The first photo of me. But never for stopping the son of an Iranian hill tribesman from becoming Wimbledon champion even though that is exactly what happened. Villas asked me how I was and if he could do anything for me. Bahrami was thirteen when the Shahs friends on the Iranian Tennis Federation recognised they had a teenage prodigy in their midst and, for quite a few years, he was finally allowed to play tennis and compete. At the end of the seventies during the Islamic Revolution in Iran professional sports, including tennis, were forbidden. In 1981, at the age of twenty-four, Bahrami reached the third round of the French Open as a qualifier, whereupon his cause was taken up by influential French newspapers such as LEquipe and Le Figaro, who demanded the renewal of his visa. Also Read: Reports: Dominic Thiem likely to miss Wimbledon 2021 due to a wrist injury. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. What is your problem?, journalists asked me. They married three years later. Play tennis and enjoy! Yes, the awful story of his first racket. You can play any time you want and as long as you want. The Iranian federation had no program and did not do anything for the professional tennis sport. For six years I just played tournaments in France and I was the man to beat there. Mansour was thirty years old before he was allowed finally to join the ATP as a full-time professional player. FirstSportz is the First Stop for all sports fanatics. I said: I am illegal. The height of the column represents match difficulty at the time, based on odds. Three years later Mansour Bahrami was a member of the Iranian Davis Cup team. What Mansour wanted was to play tennis and at 65 he still does. Looking at this story, his live and his way of playing tennis he makes the impression to be an impulsive person. His cheerful style wins the hearts of the public. Who knows? A dustpan, frying-pan, broom-handle, a piece of wood. I asked her if it was true that people kiss each other happy new year. Mansour Bahrami executed a perfect underarm serve at Wimbledon 2019, which was met by a huge round of applause from the fans. "No my parents were never there to watch me play. A political refugee is someone who risks being killed if they go home I was only a tennis player, but I did not dare leave France in case they did not let me back in. Today being just a ball boy is probably seen as some kind of slavery, but for me it was great to do this. Read our privacy policy for more information. I had to do it my way and find a way to stay in France without bothering anybody, Bahrami tells us. Video, 00:01:54, 'Never say never' - Russo on Man Utd title hopes, Can Potter turn things around at Chelsea? While Rod Laver believes him to be the most naturally gifted player ever to pick up a racquet. At the age of 63, Mansour Bahramis still wowing the crowds here at #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/6lRf3aBCsV. Bahrami's Best Tennis Trick Shots | We're missing Mansour Bahrami at Wimbledon this year! Well, it is true that winning two ATP doubles titles and playing the finals of the French Open and the Master Series in Paris are good memories. Well, if I would have had a coach, I would not have been allowed to do all the things I do today. His live outside the tennis court? The 65-year old won two Doubles tournaments and also finished as the runner-up at French Open 1989. Nick Kyrgios is one of the players who specializes in delivering underarm serves, and he adopted a similar strategy against Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon 2019. Many years later Mansour will confess: "Roland Garros was a home for me. At 66 years old, Mansour Bahrami continues to defy belief #Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic . Mansour:It was on December 31th in 1981 at 23.57 at the Champs-Elyses. It is almost too cruel to imagine. Playing Davis Cup Its an astonishing story and tennis fans the world over will know Mansour Bahrami as the magical maverick who can serve while holding six tennis balls in his hand, a man who can catch tennis balls in his shorts pocket while playing an improbable winning shot and as someone who can smash volleys which then spin crazily back across the net. Watch Wimbledon's 66-year-old viral star. I existed by playing backgammon all day. In Mansours own words I won the tournament and the prize was a ticket to Athens, which I gave to my girlfriend at the time. We behaved as if we were playing in the final of a great tournament., How good would I have been? Enjoy some of his best moments on The ATP Champions Tour About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy . At the age of 30, Bahrami finally becomes a professional player affiliated with the ATP. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Mansour Bahrami | Screenshot via Wimbledon. But I said to him that everything was good, because I had to do it my way. I lost nine years of my life. A journalist came to me and said that he wanted to have a press conference with me. Yes I was hungry, but I kept my mouth shut. Former professional tennis player John Lloyd, who since the 1990s has been a tennis commentator and analyst for the BBC, said: Mansours showmanship and style of playing is a strong source of inspiration for children and young players. In 1975, Mansour made his Davis Cup debut against Britains Roger Taylor and lost 6-0, 6-0, 6-2. Read about our approach to external linking. Video, 00:00:59, 'All hail Bahrami!' Way back in 1997, when Mansour was still playing Davis Cup tennis at the age of forty-one, he said: So you want to hear my life story? Video, 00:04:48This is a very serious project - Fabregas on Como, Unfair it is only managers who face media - Conte. I existed by playing backgammon all day., Then his luck changed and a single tennis tournament was organised in Tehran. Wimbledon 2022: Mansour Bahrami, 66, still fills seats as quickly as Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal Elgan Alderman Wednesday July 06 2022, 12.01am BST, The Times Bahrami has made a career. They were happy to let me do what I wanted, but they did not feel in place between all the millionaires who attended the tennis tournaments. When the audience laughs, I am the happiest man in the whole world.. Entrepreneur and its related marks are registered trademarks of Entrepreneur Media Inc. . Way back in 1997, when Mansour was still playing Davis Cup tennis at the age of forty-one, he said: So you want to hear my life story? If You Do Any of These 3 Things, Look in the Mirror. In those days Iran was in the news every day and he wanted to know more about my situation. During a men's senior invitation doubles game between Mansour Bahrami and Goran Ivanisevic vs. Jonas Bjorkman and Mark Woodbridge, this happened. Mansour Bahrami - Best Wimbledon Trick Shots video created by Wimbledon: 10M views, 27K likes, 7.1K loves . In a way Im happy I never had a coach, the inspiring Bahrami confesses smiling. Unfortunately, he gambled in a casino on his first night and lost! Mansour Bahrami reached the Davis Cup team at the age of 16. Who knows? Why Applying Constant Pressure on Yourself Can Significantly Improve Your Productivity and Success. For three years he does not hit a single ball. It was exactly this love for tennis and entertaining people that gave him the straight to hold on to his dream of becoming a professional tennis player. Meanwhile, Ken Flach and Danie Visser, probably blinded by the tears of laughter, are beaten 7-6 6-3 by Henri Leconte and Mansour Bahrami. With his pockets full of dreams, the young man leaves his country and his family behind and goes to France in search of a new life. If they had asked me for my papers or ID they would have put me on the first plane back to Iran. His status also of course made working and earning money even more difficult. But you have to win to collect the money, he explained. Life, however, is much more expensive than I imagined. Still, I dont have any regrets. He tells him that he is the one who must use it to leave the country and travel to a place where he can play tennis. I love to make them laugh. Can you climb & ski the highest mountains on one leg? 4.1K views, 197 likes, 69 loves, 14 comments, 16 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Mansour Bahrami: @wimbledon - this is for YOU Thank you for inviting me again this year to play in the. But not this inspiring personality. He is the son of one of the gardeners who keeps the courts impeccable and although he is dying to play, he is forbidden to do so: it is the 1960s and tennis is a sport reserved for the wealthy classes in his country. About Mansour Bahrami Sometimes I saw a beautiful woman and I did not talk to her and I regretted it afterwards, Mansour tells us. He has fulfilled his dream, but he has lost nine years of his life. Being a quick learner, however, he won nine out of his next eleven singles matches, which was incredibly impressive. In a post on his website , he comments, "I love to play. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. But following Iran's Islamic Revolution in the late 1970s, tennis was viewed as a capitalist and elitist sport and therefore banned. I never came to France to be a pain for other people. Sometime playing partner, Ilie Nastase, called him a maestro. But never for stopping the son of an Iranian hill tribesman from becoming Wimbledon champion even though that is exactly what happened. Video, 00:01:37Can Potter turn things around at Chelsea? Bahrami won the singles and doubles and received a ticket for a trip to Athens. I was thirty-three when I reached the French Open doubles final. Living on the streets of Paris to be a tennis player. Often I do win, but I feel the crowd havent enjoyed it so much, so I am upset. You think they will believe this? By the time he joined the ATP Tour in 1986 - he had already lost the best years of his career. All Rights Reserved, Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic, Ranelagh Gardens, London, England, SW6 3PA, United Kingdom. Then his luck changed and a single tennis tournament was organised in Tehran. 10M views, 27K likes, 7.1K loves, 2K comments, 6.3K shares. He is sought after and respected by the greatest players like Novak Djokovic , Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal . Bahrami amazed and delighted the crowd with his signature trick shots and humorous interactions with the spectators, who laughed, clapped and cheered almost non-stop throughout the match. But that was the easiest way. Far from his family and in a foreign country, the young man has nowhere to stay, he wanders the streets of the city and spends his nights in front of the Roland Garros stadium. 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