Wimbledon winners Harri Heliövaara and Henry Patten will play next week in the ATP final tournament of the season’s best eight pairs in Turin. They are preparing for the tournament from the beginning of the week in an interesting place, namely Helsinki.
On Monday, the two were found on the outermost courts of the Tali tennis center. In their opinion, the choice of Helsinki as a preparation location was natural.
– I’ve never been to Helsinki before, so I wanted to see what Harri’s life is like. He wants to spend time with his family. Finland has excellent hall conditions, so the choice was clear, Patten said.
The British player Patten lives with his girlfriend in the United States, so it was not worth it for him to go there for a couple of days after last week’s tournament in Paris. In addition, the ATP challenger tournament is still going on in Tali, so there are also good training opponents available.
Helsinki in November has been an interesting experience for Patten. Patten stays at Heliövaara’s home and spends time with his family, which includes his wife, two children and a dog.
– Harri warned me that it’s cold here, and Finland lived up to expectations. I saw snow for the first time yesterday. I am happy that I will have an authentic Finnish experience, said Patten, who speaks polite and beautiful British English.
Great start
The collaboration between Heliövaara and Patten started in April. The players already knew each other because Heliövaara played before by Lloyd Glasspool with and was a lot involved in the coaching patterns of the British Tennis Association.
The beginning was very good. In the first tournament, he won the ATP competition, in the second he won the challenger tournament and in the third he won the ATP final. In total, the duo has won four ATP tournaments since April, plus two challenger tournament wins. On the world list, Patten is now ranked 13th and Heliövaara 14th.
The crown of everything is, of course, the Wimbledon championship after an incredible final. You have to ask the players if they still really understand that they are Wimbledon winners.
– There is still something special about it when you express it like that. However, the trophy at home reminds us of that. It’s a unique event, it’s over quickly, but I’m always pinching myself, Heliövaara said.
– I’m starting to understand it. As a Brit, I’ve been watching Wimbledon since I was little, so that moment on center court was surreal. My name will always be on the wall. After Turin, you have time to think about what kind of season this has been, Patten stated.
“Same sense of humor and similar background”
When asked about the secret of their success, both emphasize how well they get along on and off the field.
– We have the same sense of humor and the same background. We haven’t just been playing tennis the whole time, Patten noted.
Heliövaara’s graduate engineering studies in the production economics program are well known. Patten has also studied at university in both England and the United States.
In tournaments, Heliövaara and Patten often eat dinner together or go to see the city, in addition to the fact that they spend time together in training and matches.
On the field, both are good at a little bit of everything, but both have their own special strengths that complement each other well. The tall, left-handed Patten serves well. Heliövaara is a strong pass returner.
– He is a bit unusual four player. He doesn’t win with strength, but with intelligence and skill, Patten described Heliövaara.
Heliövaara is known for its boisterous vents.
– I love them because I’m on the same side. I don’t vent as much, so it’s fun to watch and sometimes participate in it. He really feels those feelings, Patten said.
So there is one more tournament left in Heliövaara and Patten’s season, the Turin ATP final tournament. The two are in good shape. Stockholm was the tournament winner and the two races after that have ended with very narrow losses.
– Indoor courts, fast and low bounce conditions suit us very well. We still have this training period to refine our game, Heliövaara said.
In Turin, the opposition is top class, but all pairs are winnable. Heliövaara was involved two years ago with Glasspool.
– You have to go there to win. Glad to see it wasn’t an accident when I got there two years ago. Then we reached the semi-finals, but now there is potential to go further.
After Turin, the tennis player will have a short vacation, when he can put the rackets away for a couple of weeks. Next season, Heliövaara and Patten will continue together.
– Of course there had to be a discussion. When such a breakthrough is behind you, you don’t move, even though there were offers from elsewhere, Heliövaara decided.