Henry Patten’s Unique Journey in Tennis

It’s not often you hear from Henry Patten. Alongside his partner Hari Helievera, he’s referred to tennis as merely a “fun hobby” despite their accomplishments like winning at Wimbledon and the Australian Open. But if you were to spend some time around him, you might notice something peculiar — his teeth seem to stand out.

At 29, Patten isn’t traditionally viewed as a professional athlete, nor should he be one who worries about Grand Slam victories. As a child, he played at the county level but, before securing a tennis scholarship to Calford School in Suffolk, he dabbled in various sports during his teenage years. Eventually, he attended a university in North Carolina, where he studied economics.

“I have two hours of training every afternoon, which is quite new for me,” Patten reveals. “It’s just about having fun while learning how to be good, although I didn’t really grasp what was happening at the time.”

Patten is a late bloomer who, I suppose, highlights some flaws in the system. He acknowledges that pinpointing a champion based on youth is tricky. “It’s pretty difficult to say who’s gonna make it after seeing a 12-year-old,” he reflects. Despite his extraordinary talent, he feels like he often flew under the radar in the US and wasn’t sure how to digest that.

Initially, he agreed to join Ernst & Young as a technology risk consultant, but the pandemic shifted his trajectory, allowing him to focus on tennis seriously, a pursuit his family always supported.

Patten’s calm demeanor is quite striking, especially considering the intense environment of a Grand Slam final. As an unseeded player at Wimbledon, he had his nerves under control — or at least he tried. “The first time I played at Wimbledon, I acted like I wasn’t nervous. We lost quickly, and that made me even more anxious now,” he notes. “This time, though, I couldn’t stop smiling. It was the coolest experience ever. Walking past the trophy, under Kipling’s quote, felt like such a high point.”

But being in that moment was different. “You want to hold on to it forever and not really rush back to tennis,” he admits. As the match intensified, the atmosphere grew electric. “We were so caught up that we didn’t feel pressure until the last point, and Hari delivered a great first serve without me even touching the ball.”

And then, excitement erupted. “The surprising part was that I was all in my box,” Patten recalls.

Fast forward five months to Melbourne, and there he was again, facing a new challenge. “I felt a different kind of pressure, like, ‘I just need to make it work.’ I went blank, and thought, ‘Your serve is great; I’m going here with it.’

Before teaming up with Finland’s Heliovara, Patten had played with fellow Brit Julian Cash and eventually realized he needed to be more cutthroat to progress. “We are in a golden age,” he remarked.

Nonetheless, doubles in tennis struggles with insufficient funding and support, despite the clear interest from fans — something that Patten understands well. “It’s a team sport, so there are varied strategies involved,” he explains. “Singles typically have long rallies, whereas doubles are fast-paced with quick net plays, which adds a unique layer to it.”

In singles, there’s often a clear favorite, while in doubles, chaos reigns. “I have friends who can’t stand each other, and you’re essentially two competitive adults traveling together. It’s a recipe for disaster!” he laughs.

Patten also envisions a shift in the doubles scene, mentioning Padel as an inspiring example. “It brings a great vibe. Most sports tend to be very serious, but there’s something special about enjoying the game with friends. We could make doubles an event with music and spontaneous crowd interactions.”