BERGAMO/STARNBERG, June 22, 2025
For 18-year-old Kasra Rahmani, this week’s ITF World Tennis Tour M15 clay-court tournament in Bergamo is about more than just tennis. The young Iranian enters the Trofeo TNB Azimut Investimenti not only with the ambition to climb the rankings, but also with the hope of putting his country on the global tennis map — and offering a small smile to a nation facing difficult times.
Rahmani is one of only three international players in a highly Italian-dominated qualifying draw at the Tennis Club Città dei Mille, with 29 of the 32 competitors hailing from Italy. His presence isn’t entirely surprising: he’s been training for some time at Riccardo Piatti’s Academy in Bordighera, a prestigious base that has allowed him to practice with top players like Lorenzo Musetti and Daniil Medvedev.
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Currently ranked World No. 1,271, Rahmani has already achieved some promising results on the ITF Pro Circuit, including a quarterfinal run in Bucharest last month. A left-hander born in 2006, he was ranked just outside the top 100 in the junior rankings and is considered a talented prospect. He now faces a challenging opening match against Filippo Francesco Garbero, a 15-year-old Italian who was the breakout star of last year’s tournament, reaching the main draw as one of the youngest players in the field.
Rahmani’s journey is especially compelling because of its symbolic weight. The last Iranian player to achieve a notable ATP Ranking was Taghi Akbari, who reached No. 146 back in 1974. Perhaps the best-known Iranian player, Mansour Bahrami, built his legacy representing France. Now, Rahmani hopes to carve out a new chapter in Iranian tennis history.
