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Henry Patten was stunned to follow in the footsteps of his heroes and complete a remarkable Wimbledon men’s doubles success alongside Finnish partner Harri Heliovaara.
Patten and Heliovaara had only teamed up in April, but dumped out a succession of seeds on the way to a maiden grand slam final together.
Patten and Heliovaara saved three championship points in the second set against Australian pair Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson before they sealed a superb 6-7 (7) 7-6 (8) 7-6 (11/9) victory in front of a jubilant Centre Court crowd after two hours and 49 minutes.
It made Colchester-born Patten the first home winner of the 2024 Championships and only the third British player to win the men’s doubles Wimbledon title in the Open era after Jonny Marray and Neal Skupski.
“It’s bizarre for me because I probably wasn’t prepared to win this tournament. It is only the second time I’ve played it,” Patten said, having worked for IBM collecting statistics during the 2016 and 2017 editions of this grand slam.
“So, yeah that’s a crazy stat. I idolised Jonny Marray and Skupski last year, they are big heroes of mine. To be joining them as Wimbledon champions is phenomenal. Yeah, that is a nice stat to have.
“It’s surreal and 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. I’m overwhelmed.”
Patten and Heliovaara rode their luck at times and the Briton’s father told them they were fortunate to win.
“My dad came up to me and said, ‘that was like a bank robbery’, which I thought was harsh but fair,” Patten added.
“Yeah, it seemed like we were just always down. First set tie-break we were 6-1 down, clawed it back and lost. Second set tie-break we were 5-2 down. Lucky net chord, pretty good return but pretty lucky at the same time. Clawed it back.
“Mini-breaks down in the third set tie-break, couldn’t get near to their serve all match and yeah, blew open the doors and ran away with the trophy basically.”
Patten’s only previous playing appearance at Wimbledon had resulted in a first-round exit alongside Julian Cash two years ago.
A solid first game would have eased the nerves of the British player, but Thompson and Purcell followed it up with a comfortable hold to love and it was a sign of things to come.
With no break points created, the opener went to a thrill-a-minute tie-break and Patten and Heliovaara rallied from 6-1 down to win six points in a row, but Thompson sent down an ace to help the 15th seeds clinch the first set.
Set two followed a similar patten and even when Purcell double-faulted to go 15-30 down in the fifth game, Thompson bailed his partner out with a crucial winner at the net.
Another tie-break appeared on the cards only for Thompson and Purcell to fight back from 30-0 down to earn championship point when Patten sent his volley wide.
The Ipswich-supporting left-hander responded to various chants with two brilliant winners at the net to earn a crucial hold before the tie-break produced more drama.
A brilliant lob by Thompson put them 5-2 up and a second championship point arrived soon after, but Heliovaara saved it before Purcell slammed his forehand into the net on the third.
As the sun started to shine on Centre Court, a fine Heliovaara forehand pass which clipped the net cord earned set point and it was sealed with Patten’s 119mph service winner to spark an eruption of cheers from a nearly full crowd.
Purcell and Thompson fashioned two rare break points in game seven of the third, but Heliovaara produced his best with back-to-back service winners for a big hold, which forced a match tie-break.
A blistering forehand by Patten put them 5-4 up, but when the Aussie pair won four of the next five points, the Briton looked set for heartbreak.
However, the new team dug deep to get the match tie-break back on serve and after their first championship point was saved, Thompson sent his return into the net to spark emotional scenes as Patten and Heliovaara collapsed to the grass in disbelief.
