Henry Patten was not originally named to the Great Britain team, but according to Harri Heliövaara, he would be included.
Sakari Lund,
Janne Karinkanta
Finland’s Davis Cup matches will be shown on channels from September 11. Shipping information can be found at this link.
Finland will play next week in the group stage of the Davis Cup tennis final tournament in Manchester. The other side is Great Britain, Canada and Argentina.
Finland made it to the top 16 countries for the first time last year and will be there for the second time this year. Repeating last year’s sensation, i.e. progressing to the final stage of the top eight, is behind the hard work. The best two of the group will advance to the final stage in Malaga.
The task became really difficult when Finland’s number one singles player Emil Ruusuvuori announced that he would take a break from tennis for the rest of the season.
However, there was one interesting side plot today when the Wimbledon winner Harri Heliövaara told that his partner Henry Patten might be making the Great Britain team. Patten was not originally named to the team, but according to information from Heliövaara, a change would be coming.
– There are rumors that Henry might still join the team. In Britain, team selection is a bit more political. If Henry is on the opposite side, an even more interesting doubles match is coming, Heliövaara said.
The doubles special men have been named to the British team Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski. Heliövaara certainly has good sources of information on the matter, as he of course hears things directly from Patten, and is otherwise in very close relations with the country’s tennis association.
– As far as I understand, Salisbury would be changing out. These are rumours, but I believe it will happen. They too have seen how well Henry played at Wimbledon and after.
Heliövaara and Patten started their collaboration in April and the start has been great. If the two are on opposite sides of the net in the Davis Cup, the setup will be interesting.
– It’s a different starting point. He knows how I play and I know how he plays. Surely one of them is looking for a moment of surprise by playing a little differently. Tactically, there are a limited number of options in doubles, so nothing revolutionary can be done.
– The mental setting is interesting. Who will take the upper hand and will it show in our joint games in the future?
Finland’s Davis Cup matches can be seen on channels from September 11. Shipping information can be found at this link.