Former IBM Employee Henry Patten’s Story Leading to Wimbledon Victory: Here’s an Inspiring Life Story

Henry Patten once worked the outer courts of Wimbledon as an English university student, collecting points for IBM during the summer months. He would humorously recall that he dreamed of being on Centre Court, but was never given the opportunity. But years later, as a former university tennis player, he took on a very different role at Wimbledon, competing in the men’s doubles final on the prestigious lawns of SW19 with Finnish partner Harri Heliovaara. Despite being unseeded, the pair pulled off a stunning 6-7(7), 7-6(8), 7-6(9) victory over the Australian duo of Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson.

The unseeded team saved three match points in a hard-fought second set to secure their first Grand Slam victory

Just four months after their collaboration, they celebrated their fifth victory in all tournaments. Patten expressed his feelings after the match, saying, “It’s hard to describe the emotions that this victory brought us, the way we won the match reinforced those feelings.” Patten also expressed his happiness by saying, “It’s surreal to share this experience with my family and friends, to be with those who have supported me for so many years.”

Patten, who is 28, became the third Englishman to win a Grand Slam doubles title after Neal Skupski and Jonathan Marray in 2012. Commenting on his own achievement, he said, “I wouldn’t say I was ready to win this tournament, this is the second time I’ve played here and this is an incredible statistic.” Patten also recalled his encounter with Helen Weal, who runs the IBM program, saying, “I ran into her and said hello. Don’t get me wrong, but playing here now is a lot more exciting than just keeping statistics.”

This unexpected victory also added to the legend of Patten and Heliovaara’s partnership

The two first met in April and quickly hit it off, winning 29 of their 33 matches together, including victories in Marrakesh and Lyon. Patten became the No. 1-ranked doubles player in the NCAA while playing at UNC Asheville and the first player in school history to compete in the NCAA individual championships. He also played alongside his teammates while pursuing a master’s degree at Durham University.

Heliovaara, who is a Finn, has an interesting story of her own. After quitting tennis in 2013, she worked full time at Helsinki airport and held management and private equity internships before returning to the sport in 2017. “You can’t compare this to Excel spreadsheets in an office,” she said, celebrating her victory as the first Finn to win Wimbledon.