Tennis News

Heliovaara/Patten save 3 CPs, win Wimbledon title

Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten won one of the most dramatic Wimbledon doubles finals in history on Saturday when they saved three championship points to defeat Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson 6-7(7), 7-6(8), 7-6(11-9).

The Finn-British team looked down and out in the second-set tie-break in front of a packed crowd on Centre Court. However, from 2/5 they then saved championship points at 6/7 and 7/8 before sealing the set on their second opportunity. They also saved a championship point on serve at 5-6 in the second set.

With a third set left to decide the final, Heliovaara and Patten saved both break points they faced, battled from 6/8 in the third-set tie-break and then earned victory on their second championship point after two hours and 52 minutes.

“Guys, you are all amazing out there,” said Patten, who eight years ago would have been found on one of Wimbledon’s outside courts, totting up statistics. “I can’t really remember what happened and Harri is the same. For me the most special thing is to do it in front of so many people that have come over. So many of my family members, my best friends. Thank you all.”

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/07/13/19/08/wimbledon-dubs-2024-trophy.jpg” alt=”Wimbledon doubles trophy” style=”width: 100%;” />
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Home favourite Patten dropped to his knees after winning his first major, while Heliovaara raised his arms to the sky after becoming the first Finnish player to win the doubles crown at the grass-court major.

“I admit we got a little lucky today,” Heliovaara said. “Max you told us to enjoy this and we will. The cheers say it all and it is very emotional.”

Heliovaara stopped playing tennis 11 years ago due to injury. He then earned a Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree from Aalton University in a bit less than four years and worked at Helsinki Airport at 5 a.m. each morning to serve as a passenger guide. He made his comeback in 2017 and has since won seven tour-level doubles titles.

Back from the brink 🤯🫨

Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten save three Championship points to defeat Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell 6-7(7), 7-6(8), 7-6(11-9) and win the Gentlemen’s Doubles title 🏆#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/uAiSc5Jj14

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 13, 2024

Heliovaara and Patten dropped just two sets en route to their third trophy of the season, with Patten becoming just the third British man in the Open Era to win the doubles title. Neal Skupski won with Wesley Koolhof last year and Jonathan Marray triumphed in 2012.

With his sixth career title, former World No. 7 Heliovaara surges 25 spots to No. 12 in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Rankings. Patten also leaps 25 places from his previous career high of 42 to No. 17. Patten had never won a tour-level title before this April, but collected ATP 250 crowns during the clay swing in Marrakech and Lyon.

Purcell, 26, was trying to clinch his second Wimbledon title, having won in 2022 with Matthew Ebden. Thompson, 30, had never been beyond the fourth round in the event prior to this year.

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Ferrero on the 'scandalous' achievements of Alcaraz

The day before the final, Juan Carlos Ferrero’s words hold nothing but praise for Carlos Alcaraz, who will take on Novak Djokovic in the title bout at Wimbledon for the second consecutive year.

“We’re very happy,” admitted Ferrero before making his way to a training session with the 21-year-old. “I think Carlos’ performances have improved throughout the tournament. His confidence, above all, has kept building until reaching the final. But what he’s doing, having won the title at Roland Garros, flipping the switch to prepare in this way and reach the final, is scandalous. The level Carlos is producing, above all mentally, handling the pressure everyone puts on him without meaning to… it really is a 10 out of 10 for him.

“He’s surprising everyone. I think we’re very clear about his level, but generating it every week… People should know that’s tremendously difficult to do. That’s why there’s so much admiration for Rafa [Nadal], Novak [Djokovic] and Roger [Federer], who did it for so many years. Carlos is walking in their footsteps and that’s surprising even for the team.”

Many things about Alcaraz are surprising, among others, his precocity, his maturity, his records, his three Grand Slam titles, and his ability to adapt so well to a difficult surface like grass.

“It’s a surface you only play on for three weeks a year, and one that almost everyone struggles to adapt to, mainly because of the mobility you need on court,” explained Ferrero. “Because of his style of tennis, we saw when Carlos came to play the junior tournament that he would be able to adapt very well in the coming years, and really that’s what he’s doing. Once he’s really feeling good about moving well on court, his game is a perfect fit for the surface.”

Saturday, the day before the final, was a relaxed one for Alcaraz. After practising in the morning on the courts at Aorangi Park, he returned to the home he is renting a few metres from Wimbledon to rest, and surely to consider his upcoming clash with Djokovic, who leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 3-2.

“What we know [about Djokovic] is that 37 days ago he was going under the knife and now he’s in the Wimbledon final”, warned Ferrero. “You have to adapt to the reality, and the reality is that he has recovered from the operation very quickly and very well. I think he’s managed to play at a good level again, and the most important thing for him is to be in optimal physical condition. He’s moving well, we’re seeing him slide without problems when he’s moving. We have to plan the match expecting a battle at least like that of last year. I’ve been telling Carlos it’s going to be five hours again, so his mental level must be very high.”

In 2023, Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in an epic five-set final, taking down the seven-time Wimbledon champion and sending out a warning shot to everybody else.

“Novak has so much experience, and Carlos can approach the match a lot calmer because he won last year and he can try and improve things,” Ferrero said. “He’s really growing in terms of experience, the way he feels, and experiences on court. Really, he’s increasingly realising that mental strength is something that’s really solving those problems for him a lot. We know he’s quite an emotional player on court, that he shows his emotions a lot, but I think that he’s handling it increasingly better. One year of experience is very useful.”

Even so, Ferrero considers Djokovic the favourite, despite the fact that he has recently recovered from a meniscus operation, which forced him to retire from Roland Garros.

“If we’re realistic, because of the experience he has of these kinds of finals and the number of titles he has at Wimbledon, the favourite is Djokovic,” Ferrero said. “Obviously, we know the potential Carlos has. In the team, we like to think that if Carlos plays well he will make things very difficult for Novak, but we know Djokovic’s level. Even on bad days he knows what to do and how to come through those problems, so we’re expecting a very high level in the match from Novak.”

All is set in London, let the grand finale of Wimbledon commence.

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Alcaraz & the nerves of playing at Wimbledon

It’s Friday afternoon, Wimbledon’s Centre Court is saying goodbye to Carlos Alcaraz with an ebullient standing ovation. But they will only have to wait until Sunday, when he will cross swords with Novak Djokovic for the title, to see him again. As he makes his way to the locker room, the 21-year-old leaves behind him all the nerves that come with a semi-final clash against Daniil Medvedev, and that normally accompany him when he sets foot on one of the most prestigious stages in world sport.

However, those nerves can be positive if they are channelled in the right direction, and Alcaraz is well aware of that.

“At Roland Garros maybe I didn’t talk about the nerves, although they were obviously there,” explained the Spaniard after seeing off Medvedev in four sets. “Maybe I controlled them a little better at that tournament, except in the final… They affected me a bit there, above all in the first sets.

“Wimbledon, playing on centre court, it makes me a little more nervous because of everything it means; because of the way I see the tournament and the centre court, maybe differently to how I see others,” said Alcaraz of the season’s third Grand Slam. “It’s something we’re working on: obviously nerves are very good and very necessary if they are under control, but when you lose control of them a bit, or you don’t know how to manage them, they work against you. Today, maybe in the first set I struggled a bit, even though I played good tennis and played well. Maybe that’s what I was lacking to be able to win it: handling the nerves a little better, which I did much better in the other three sets.”

Wimbledon is a special tournament, there is no doubt, and Alcaraz is clearly besotted with an event he has played in four times, reaching the final on two of those occasions (2023 and 2024).

“Since I started the tournament I haven’t thought about the fact that I’m the defending champion,” said Alcaraz. “The only goal has been to get better every day.”

On Sunday, as he vies to keep Djokovic’s hands off his crown (the Serb leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head 3-2), Alcaraz will no doubt be feeling the butterflies in his stomach, but he will know what to do with them in order to convert them into the energy required if he is to defeat Nole at Wimbledon once again.

Easier said than done.

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'Nobody will believe I won Wimbledon – I still can't'

As Barbora Krejcikova stood with the Venus Rosewater Dish in her hands, there was one thing she could not stop saying – “it is just unbelievable”.

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Krejcikova wins first Wimbledon title – highlights

Watch highlights of a gripping final as Barbora Krejcikova withstands a Jasmine Paolini comeback to win her first Wimbledon title.

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Krejcikova holds off Paolini to win Wimbledon title

Barbora Krejcikova holds off a charge from Jasmine Paolini in a gripping Wimbledon final to earn her second Grand Slam singles title.

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Nadal v Borg in Bastad… not a misprint

Nadal vs. Borg sounds like a fantasy matchup between two clay-court giants who have combined to win 20 Roland Garros titles. And Nadal will face Borg in Bastad at the Nordea Open.

But it will be Rafael Nadal taking on Leo Borg, the 21-year-old son of former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Leo Borg. The pair of wild cards trained together on Friday ahead of the ATP 250 event.

“It was crazy because we were looking when they did the draw and my name just popped up against Rafa,” Borg said. “I’m feeling very excited and it’s going to be a great match.”

Borg explained that Nadal is one of the reasons he picked up a tennis racquet when he was a kid. Now he is looking forward to competing against the 92-time tour-level titlist.

“It was a very good practice and of course he’s been my idol since I was very young, so it’s going to be a very special moment in my career,” Borg said. “But I’m looking forward to that and I’m feeling really, really excited.”

Nadal has competed in Bastad on three previous occasions, most recently in 2005, when he lifted the trophy. The 38-year-old will pursue his first title of the season this week. Borg earned his lone ATP Tour match win last year in Bastad against Elias Ymer.

The top seed is defending champion Andrey Rublev, who will begin his tournament against Thiago Agustin Tirante or a qualifier. The second seed is Casper Ruud, who will face Federico Coria or Thiago Monteiro in the second round.

Nadal and Ruud are competing together in the doubles draw. They will open against second seeds Guido Andreozzi and Miguel Reyes-Varela.

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Predictor Picks: Why Nadal is a no-brainer selection in Bastad

Although Wimbledon is approaching its end, the action never stops on the ATP Tour. Next week there will be four tournaments, including an ATP 500 (Hamburg Open) and three ATP 250 events (Nordea Open, EFG Swiss Open Gstaad and Infosys Hall of Fame Open).

There will be plenty of stars in action, including Rafael Nadal, Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Who could be good choices for your team in the PIF ATP Rankings Predictor? ATPTour.com takes a look at three players to consider.

Make Your Picks Now!

Rafael Nadal — defending 0 points
If Nadal enters any tournament without points to defend, he will always be a good player to select. The Spaniard has won 82.7 per cent of his career tour-level matches according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index and will try to improve his record this week in Bastad.

Nadal has competed in Bastad on three previous occasions, winning the title on his most recent appearance in 2005. That edition, the lefty defeated four players who would reach the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings — Juan Monaco, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Tommy Robredo and Tomas Berdych — en route to the trophy. Nineteen years later, he will open his tournament against Leo Borg, the son of legendary Swede Bjorn Borg.

Stefanos Tsitsipas — replacing 15 points
Tsitsipas suffered a surprise second-round loss at Wimbledon to Emil Ruusuvuori, and will be keen to return to form this week on the clay of Gstaad. The top seed will begin the ATP 250 event against 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF Hamad Medjedovic or Marc-Andrea Huesler.

The Greek star has won five of his 11 ATP Tour titles on clay, including both of his ATP Masters 1000 trophies (in Monte-Carlo). One of those Masters 1000 triumphs in the Principality came earlier this year.

Arthur Fils — replacing 25 points
One year ago, Fils made the Hamburg semi-finals. It remains his only semi-final at an ATP 500 event. The Frenchman will hope his happy memories of that run help him this week at the German tournament. The last time Fils was in Hamburg, he defeated Casper Ruud for the loss of just four games.

The first-placed player in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah is in good form, having advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon. The fifth seed will begin his tournament in Hamburg against Jaume Munar.

Bonus Ball — Rafael Nadal
With no points to defend this week, Nadal has plenty to gain and by placing your Bonus Ball on the Spaniard, you can double those points. The 38-year-old did not compete on grass and has continued his training on clay. So while players will need to regain their clay footing, Nadal will be ready to go.

The former World No. 1 lost in the first round at Roland Garros to Zverev in a tight three-setter, but showed some of his best tennis of the year. Zverev went on to the final and was close to lifting his first major trophy, showing how high Nadal’s level was to challenge him. The 63-time tour-level clay-court titlist will try to bring even better tennis to the Bastad courts this week.

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Princess of Wales to attend Wimbledon men’s final

The men’s Wimbledon final will be the princess’s second public appearance since her cancer diagnosis.

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When is Novak Djokovic vs. Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final?

In one of the most anticipated matches of the year, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will meet in the Wimbledon final in London at 2 p.m. BST on Sunday on Centre Court in a repeat of last year’s title match.

The Serbian lost to the Spaniard in five sets last year at The Championships but leads the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series 3-2.

Read more ahead of the 2024 final
Wimbledon final preview: Djokovic seeks Alcaraz revenge in blockbuster rematch
Djokovic v Alcaraz: The Rivalry
Alcaraz set to lead Spanish sporting super Sunday… Just don’t tell the SW19 fans!
Djokovic on Alcaraz: ‘I see a lot of similarities between us’

For more information on how to watch the final, click here.

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