Henry Patten raises his voice against doubles reform: "We need to make this sport grow, not take away opportunities"

The conquest of the men's doubles title at Wimbledon 2026 allowed Henry Patten to send a strong message in defense of the specialty. The British player used the repercussion of his victory to position himself against the proposals that the ATP is considering for 2028, aimed at reducing the size of the draws and the importance of doubles within the circuit.

In recent weeks, it has emerged that the ATP is considering a profound reform that would include fewer spots in tournaments and a redistribution of the prize money, measures that have raised great concern among specialists in the discipline. Patten, still on the Wimbledon Centre Court with the trophy in his hands, sought to vindicate the value of doubles with a speech highly applauded by the public.

"The ATP presented proposals to possibly cut some of the doubles. I am a firm believer that we are here to grow the sport", he stated. The British player then pointed to the packed Centre Court stands to argue that doubles can also evoke great emotions.

Patten staunchly defends doubles against the ATP threat

"This is a fantastic example of the joy that doubles can bring. I think we should be expanding opportunities for kids, whether for doubles or singles players", he explained. His reflection concluded with a sentence summarizing the sentiment of many specialists, worried about the potential future of the discipline. "We should be growing the sport instead of eliminating opportunities", he asserted.

Patten's words come just a few days after plans for ATP reform were unveiled, which include smaller draws and less economic weight for doubles. In this context, the Wimbledon champion wanted to take advantage of one of the biggest stages in world tennis to remind that doubles are also part of the show and that limiting their development would shut doors on future generations of players.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Henry Patten alza la voz contra la reforma del dobles: "Hay que hacer crecer este deporte, no quitar oportunidades"