Unassuming Essex left-hander Henry Patten, 29, cuts a remarkably relaxed figure but last summer, clinched the most memorable of Grand Slam glories on home SW19 soil
Henry Patten might just be the most unsung Wimbledon champion in recent British history. The unassuming Essex left-hander, 29, cuts a remarkably relaxed figure but last summer, clinched the most memorable of Grand Slam glories on home SW19 soil.
Accompanied by flying Finn Harri Heliövaara, Patten was crowned men’s doubles champion with a thrilling three-set victory over Aussie aces Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson on a raucous Centre Court. But that margin tells far from the full story, with the diverse duo battling back from a set down to tee up a tantalising decider with a nerve-jangling 10-8 win in a second set tie-break.
The third was an even more frantic affair, with Patten and experienced Heliövaara, 36, eventually edging out an unforgettable 11-9 triumph in the championship tie-break to trigger All England Club ecstasy and emotional Centre Court scenes.
You’d think that victory would propel Patten straight into the pantheon of British Wimbledon greats – but with doubles naturally lacking the sparkle of the singles draw, coupled with Patten’s down-to-earth demeanour, it’s fair to say the majority of fans tuning into the action this summer may remain largely unaware of who the eloquent southpaw actually is.
His rise to the summit has been unconventional but that’s ultimately what makes his story all the more compelling.
Patten virtually quit tennis between the ages of 12 and 16 before rediscovering his passion during a scholarship at Culford School, Suffolk, and going on to study at both UNC Asheville in North Carolina and Durham University.
When back in the UK each summer during those years spent across the pond, Patten – as his impressive LinkedIn profile puts it – then ‘worked courtside at Wimbledon collecting data points from matches for IBM.’
Seven years on from that job, it was Patten himself who was keeping others crunching the numbers as he improbably navigated his way to the men’s doubles title.
“I was never expecting to be in this position at all,” said Patten on the eve of last summer’s Wimbledon final. “I used to work here doing the courtside stats for IBM – during college, I never intended to play professional tennis so I had summer internships working in wealth managements and those kind of things.
“At IBM, you were either on the outside courts or if you were good and switched on, the show court team. I was on the outside courts! It’s quite funny now because I can spot them in an IBM t-shirt, sitting in front of a computer and just inputting all of the data. It was a brutal job – but a really good experience and I really enjoyed it.”
Patten added: “It’s surreal for me given my pathway, which was not a very traditional one to the professional game. It’s amazing and I feel very privileged to be part of a final. I’m very appreciative that Harri took a bit of a gamble to play with me – it’s been amazing to build a successful partnership and see that investment to pay off.”
The following day, Patten and Heliövaara, a veteran of the doubles circuit and a 2023 mixed US Open champion, scaled the SW19 summit with that marathon victory to cap their fairytale rise to becoming the most unlikely of Grand Slam champions.
“I don’t know what to do with myself, to be honest,” said Patten on that super Saturday in south-west London. I don’t have words for what I’m feeling right now – and that’s amplified by how we won the match.
“It’s bizarre – because I would have said I probably wasn’t prepared to win this tournament. It’s only the second time I’ve played it, which is a crazy stat. The most amazing thing about it is being there with family and friends, sharing it with them – those that have supported me for such a long time now.
“It certainly helps having the prize money – in terms of changing my life, we’ll see. I think the most important thing for me is to be able to share it with my family.”
Heliövaara, who has endured an injury-ravaged career and used to work at an airport in Helsinki, added: “I feel joy, huge emotions. Tears of joy – it’s unbelievable. It’s been a dream. A dream team, what can you say?”
Almost a year has passed since that triumph and their partnership is still thriving. After reaching the third round at Flushing Meadows, Patten and Heliövaara sealed their second major title together with another three-set victory in the Australian Open final in Melbourne. They crashed out in the second round at Roland Garros but still arrive at Wimbledon as the current world No.3 and 4 and one of the SW19 pairings to beat.
But Patten is not the only British big-hitter on the men’s doubles circuit, with Neal Skupski getting his tilt in the capital underway determined to emulate his exploits from two years ago.
The Liverpool star, a two-time mixed doubles champion in 2021 and 2022, secured his maiden men’s title alongside Dutch partner Wesley Koolhof in 2023 and arrives at Wimbledon fresh off the back of a recent run to the French Open final.
Skupski, 35, joined forces with fellow Brit Joe Salisbury on the red Roland Garros clay but was unable to battle past Spaniard Marcel Granollers and Argentine Horacio Zeballos in a turbulent three-set final. That was the duo Skupski and Koolhof beat in the 2023 Wimbledon showpiece and speaking after the clash in Paris, he said: “Congratulations, you’ve got me back for a couple of years ago.
“It was definitely your night tonight. To Joe and our team, it was a tough start of the year but we put the work in and it’s going a lot better now and we’re definitely progressing.
“We’ve arrived now as a team, I’m looking forward to the grass court season in a couple of weeks but we should be really proud of what we’ve done here. The first Brits to make the final here at Roland Garros in doubles so we should keep our heads up.”
Skupski and Salisbury come into their home Grand Slam as the respective world No.9 and 17, with Salisbury, 33, a four-time men’s doubles major champion but having never advanced past the semi-finals in the format at Wimbledon. Elsewhere on the men’s side, fellow British pair Lloyd Glasspool and Julian Cash arrive off the back of a run to the Australian Open quarter-finals earlier this year.
And they almost emulated those exploits at Roland Garros before losing to Brit Luke Johnson in the third round, who joined forces with Dutch player Sanders Arends to reach his maiden major quarter-final.
On the women’s side, Norfolk star Olivia Nicholls arrives as the highest-ranked Brit and will be hoping to advance past the third round in the format for the first time in her career. And she will also fancy her chances in the mixed doubles draw, where she plays alongside Patten and reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January before the quarters in Paris last month.
Skupski and Salisbury will also be flying the flag in the mixed doubles draw, with the stage set for a fun fortnight of action in the format on the famous lawns of SW19.
For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website
