“When my father, Mansour Bahrami, arrived in France, he was sleeping on the benches of Roland-Garros”

Paris Match. With your “Mansour by Sam” collection, you have chosen to honor the career of your father, who arrived in France from Iran without a penny in his pocket, before becoming one of the greatest in world tennis. How did the idea of ​​launching this brand come about?
Sam Bahrami. This is an idea I had in mind for a very long time. It must date back to the 2000s. At the time, I was doing a summer camp with Robin, the son of Björn Borg. He had just launched a line with t-shirts, polo shirts, shorts… Robin arrived with a bag full of clothes and I loved that there was a brand in his dad’s name. And even if I knew that my father could not be compared to Borg, I also knew that he had a real sympathy capital when he entered the court. At the time, I was 14 or 15 and I asked “why don’t we make a clothing brand with a mustache?” And dad replied: “No, we will never make a mark in my name, he is Borg, I am nobody, nobody cares”. I was frustrated but it stuck in my mind. And during covid-19, I thought a little, I met a friend who already has a clothing brand and who offered to help me. The story started like this. I wanted to pay tribute to his journey. He left Iran and arrived here when he was homeless. He slept on those benches at Roland-Garros. I am very proud of dad, of the career we know of him now and especially of his post-career. I think he’s world number one in exhibition matches.

How did you manage to convince him this time?
He was a little closed at first, especially because he is an ambassador for Lacoste. But I remember preparing a little presentation on the TV while he was sitting on the sofa. And little by little, I saw that he was opening up, that he was recovering and he encouraged me to do so. We took 10 months to mature the logo, the storytelling.

In this line, each t-shirt tells a particular story…
Yes, there are several important dates. For example, there is a t-shirt that says “Nice 1980” on it. Dad arrived in Nice on August 8 with three snowshoes in hand, a three-piece suit, it was 35 degrees… There he sees the topless women when he comes from Iran. He walks on the Promenade des Anglais with 8,000 francs in hand and goes to buy a sandwich and a can. He quickly realizes that he won’t last long. He sees the casino, he thinks it’s his chance… he obviously came out with zero!

You also honor the Porte d’Auteuil, where Roland-Garros takes place. What is your father’s connection to this place?
He started by sleeping on these benches and then made a final at Roland-Garros in doubles. At the time, he only played tournaments in France, he was not allowed to play elsewhere. When he makes his final, he is 32 or 33 years old. It was old for a player. And then the story continued. In 1997, he created the Legends Trophy here. He pissed off the tournament director and it was a hit right away. It was a real success that continues to endure.

You yourself have spent a lot of time here, what memories do you have of your childhood at Roland-Garros?
I remember one moment in particular, when they picked me up from daycare in 1989 to come and comfort my dad who had just lost the doubles final. Dad trains here all year round in fact, so since I was little this stadium was my playground, I always knew it empty. I was going to mess around here with Henri Leconte’s son, we were playing tennis while our fathers were training, we were exploring the stadium. Here I have also seen hundreds of matches. I am very attached to this place. When I arrive here, I feel a bit at home.

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You not only followed your father here, you also accompanied him throughout his career and his post-career. What highlight do you remember?
I loved seeing dad play at the end of his career, at 37, 38 or 39. He was still playing doubles. In Monte-Carlo, I remember this match where he teamed up with Leconte against Becker and Forget on the center full to bursting while Becker was still world number 3. There are also all the memories at Albert Hall in London, where Dad has been playing for 25 years. It’s a special place. But above all, I have in mind the Legends Trophy. In 1997, he was playing with guys like Ilie Nastase and now he’s meeting Julien Benneteau, it’s funny to see. I particularly remember a match in 1997, for the first edition of the Legends Trophy… Dad was playing on court 1 with McEnroe, people were crowded together to watch this match, they were fighting at the entrance to court 1. The Admission was free, they were sitting everywhere, on the stairs, they were doing the ola. And from the top of the central court, the spectators, facing outside, applauded.

How do you explain the great popularity of your father?
He likes to give pleasure when he enters the field, he is very generous, he does show tennis, a little champagne. He communicates a lot with people on the court. This sympathy capital has grown year after year and brings together several generations. There are people who are 70 years old who saw him play 20 or 30 years ago who bring their children who themselves bring their children. I think it’s great to have three generations come to see a guy who makes everyone laugh on the pitch.

You share his story with pride today, but in the past, hasn’t the Bahrami family name sometimes been a heavy legacy to bear?
I can’t say it was complicated but you have to learn to manage it. This has very good sides. Having that name gave me access to a lot of things, but it’s still a heavy name to bear because sometimes, professionally or socially, people will judge you. Sometimes you have to do more than others to give yourself more credibility. Now, I learned to manage it without problems but in adolescence, it was more difficult. There are people happy to know you and others who are jealous.

“When I first arrived in Iran, I understood what he had managed to do, and that makes me so proud”

What does it mean to you to tell your father’s story like this?
It’s a great emotion when I talk about it. I tell myself that I am very lucky to be able to do this. I went to Iran, I saw where he grew up under the stands of the Amdjadieh stadium, where they had a 9m2 dirt room to live at 6. He started from nothing, he went to school all by working as a ball boy from the age of 6. And he ended up arriving here and making the career that we know. When I see my family in Iran, nobody could do what they did. No one taught him to speak French or English, he did everything on his own. He never had a trainer, an agent. When I first arrived in Iran, I understood what he had managed to do, and that makes me so proud.

What does your family back in Iran think of his incredible journey?
They are very proud. When I first went there were 1000 people at the airport waiting for us. They treated my brother and me like princes. As soon as I put my feet on the ground I felt at home (he holds back his tears, editor’s note)…

Mansour Bahrami’s life in Amdjadieh is also the subject of a t-shirt, can you tell us more?
Amdjadieh is the complex where he grew up. I can tell you the story of his first racquet. He had fought for it, he had fixed it, he had retied all the knots. At the time, he had the right to do all sports except tennis, because tennis was reserved for the elite. One afternoon, in the middle of summer, he entered a court when he had no right. At that time, normally it was too hot, there was no one there. He was able to exchange a few balls with a member of the club but security quickly arrived, surrounded him, and broke his racquet. Not only did they break his racket, but he also has a scar here (he shows the top of his forehead, editor’s note), they opened his skull. When he got up, bleeding, he saw his racket broken in two, it was a shock for him. It’s the only story he told me when I was a kid, for which he still had a lot of emotion when he told it. When I went to this stadium in Amdjadieh, I saw an old man coming towards us. I saw my father overwhelmed with emotion – ah, I’m sorry, I’m going to cry, but it means so much to me (her voice is shaking, editor’s note) -, the old man came and knelt down in front of dad. He told me it was the guy who broke his racquet. I wanted to kick his ass! I was 12 or 13 years old. And dad said to me “no, look where he is, he blames himself, and look at what I have accomplished”.

Beyond this clothing line, would you like to tell your father’s story in another way in the future, through a book or a film?
Dad has already told it in a book, there have been reports, including a great one on HBO. But if anyone is ever interested in it, I have a lot of stories to tell about the senior circuit. I lived with real legends, I didn’t realize at the time. I saw them binge, I shared whole months with them. I found myself doing the sparring partner of Jimmy Connors, Björn Borg, John McEnroe. I knew it was great, but I didn’t realize how lucky I was to live those moments. And today, when I meet John, who is an idol for me, he always has nice words. They all watched me grow. They are not people I call every day, but I know that if one day I call them because I need them, they will always be there. When Björn is in Paris, we dine together, we have fun. I also grew up with the children of Yannick (Noah), Joakim and Yelena. Yan’, as soon as we see each other, we party.

How do you view tennis today, when you lived through such a different period?
When I was a kid and my dad was playing in the big picture, he would pick me up and grab me by the hand to go to the locker room. Today, that would be impossible. Everything is more controlled, but that’s part of the evolution of tennis. I’m not nostalgic, we still have the chance to see guys like Nadal play, that’s how it goes with tennis today. In football it’s the same thing. There’s a lot more money in sports today. I’m not one to say it was better before, it was just different. The only thing I miss a little is the emotions of the players on the court. Kyrgios or Paire, I pay my ticket to go see them play because I know something is going to happen with them. There are more shows when the players are allowed to express themselves on the pitch.

“Mansour by Sam” is for sale only on the Internet. The brand is offering 10% off with the code “Mansour”.