"We either win a Grand Slam in three months or it's over"

Fernando Murciego | 17 Jul 2024 | 13.00

Sign up with Bet365 here
Make your first deposit of at least €5
Go to the “Live” section and watch every match

Raise your hand if you predicted fifteen days ago the victory of Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten in the men's doubles at Wimbledon 2024. I know, impossible to foresee. Understandable considering that this pair decided to join forces just last April. A Finn and a Brit starting a project from scratch, yet with immediate results. In the first six tournaments they played, four ended in titles and they reached the final in another. We cannot deny that they were showing signs.

But winning the Challenger in Madrid or the ATPs in Marrakech and Lyon is one thing... conquering Wimbledon is a whole different story. Leaving behind established pairs like Bolelli-Vavassori, Arevalo-Pavic, or Purcell-Thompson in the grand final. This is the story of Heliovaara, a man who quit tennis between 2013 and 2017 due to personal problems, to now be a Grand Slam champion at 35. By his side, Patten, seven years his junior, less experienced, but thrilled to have found this partnership that elevated him to the elite. Nothing speaks volumes like their speeches to grasp the miracle that happened last weekend at the AELTC.

HARRI HELIOVAARA

“Summing up my journey here quickly, I must say that I stopped playing when I was 23 and was off the circuit for five years. Before that, I had managed to qualify for Wimbledon in singles, where I won a match. I thought that was very special, so I am very proud of that. I then had other jobs, worked with the Finnish Tennis Federation. A few years ago, I came here as a tourist and saw many friends playing doubles. That's one reason I started playing again after that break. I never thought I would be here, I just dreamt of being top 100 in doubles, never imagined being this good.”

“I worked at an airport for a year right after ending my professional career, worked there with my wife. I also found time to study, worked as a management consultant, did some private equity internships. After all this journey, I believe that the tennis courts give me better sensations than Excel sheets in an office; they are incomparable.”

“I hope we stay together, could be with Henry for the rest of my career and wouldn’t complain. It’s something special, we are very close on the court, something I hadn’t experienced before. I could use the term ‘safe zone’ as Henry gives me a lot of confidence, he never blames me, that’s when you start to trust. We have reached a really high mental performance state, in tough times we stick together, that's when good things happen. This is precisely what you look for in a doubles partnership; I believe we were very lucky to find each other.”

HENRY PATTEN

“This is completely surreal, the most incredible part is having my family and friends here, sharing it with those who have supported me for so long, it's overwhelming. I can't deny that the prize money will help a lot, it means both Henri and I can participate in some upcoming major events, in the tennis realm. In terms of life, I don't know if this will change my life, we'll see. As I said, the most important thing is being able to share it with my family.”

“When we got together, we said, ‘We either become Grand Slam champions in three months or it's over’. Luckily, now we can stick together (laughs). One of our coaches actually aimed for a Masters 1000 event in August, which seemed quite audacious to me. Now I think we already achieved that after making it to the quarterfinals. What I didn't expect was becoming Grand Slam champions so soon. Maybe one day, but so soon? This has been like a dream.”

“We have similar values and it shows in how we play tennis on the court, but also how we behave off it. I think this allows us to have a very close relationship in both spaces. For instance, it's something that helps us push through tough matches like the ones we had in the tournament; without that chemistry, it would have been hard to turn certain scores around since there were many moments when our opponents were outplaying us. Knowing we are there for each other is all we need, that we will fight to the end. It's truly an incredible feeling, very special.”

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, “O ganamos un Grand Slam en tres meses o se acabó”