​Henry Patten says victory in the Wimbledon men’s doubles final on Saturday would propel him and partner Harri Heliovaara onto the ATP Tour Instagram page, a move that comes amid the sport’s ongoing upheaval. The four-team format at the All England Club has been overshadowed by a proposal unveiled at an ATP Player Council meeting last week. If implemented from 2028, doubles draws would be halved and prize money would be reduced in favor of singles players. The plan has provoked anger within the doubles community, and Patten, one of its most vocal critics, refuses to let it distract the world-number-one pair as they pursue another deep run at a major.
Patten and Heliovaara advanced to Saturday’s Centre Court showpiece against Mate Pavic and Marcelo Arevalo after defeating Thanasi Kokkinakis and Aleksandar Kovacevic 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (10-8) in a thrilling quarterfinal on Thursday in front of a packed Court One crowd. Although the win was hard-fought, it has not yet appeared on the ATP’s Instagram page, and Patten and Heliovaara also did not feature after finishing runners-up at Roland Garros. “The reality is you need to win a slam or reach the final of a slam to be anywhere near their Instagram page. I don’t understand why they couldn’t promote eight guys,” Patten commented.
“Their argument is, ‘oh you guys are always changing your partnerships’—no, the top players aren’t. They’ve got these odd narratives like, ‘no one watches doubles,’ but Wimbledon has done a pretty good job of selling out crowds for doubles on every court this week. They might say it doesn’t count because it’s Wimbledon and everyone’s there, but what are you talking about? Of course it counts. You should be aiming for your tournaments to be as successful as these, so I would love to see them shift their mindset about doubles. I’d love for them to see it as an opportunity for growth alongside the singles, but we’ll see.”
Patten has vocally opposed the proposals, which were advanced with little consultation as the ATP pursues “a more sustainable long-term model while maintaining doubles’ important role on the tour.” Given Patten’s path—from the Challenger Tour to winning Wimbledon doubles in 2024, having never progressed beyond the third round of a major before that breakthrough—he understands how the changes could hinder players like him from emerging.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Patten said: “They’re talking about cutting a lot of jobs, effectively, and in 10 years’ time, if these proposals go ahead, they’re basically saying people like me shouldn’t be on the ATP Tour, which I take very personally and which I think is wrong. We need to get in front of board members, the CEO and the chairman. We need to sit down and talk with them. We’re tired of discussions happening behind closed doors and players reacting to them. It’s not good enough.”