By BBC (Sports) | Created at 2024-11-19 13:10:29 | Updated at 2024-11-25 20:21:03
6 days ago
Wimbledon champion Henry Patten expects 2025 to be even tougher after a rise of more than 50 places up the doubles rankings this year has seen his rivals take note.
The 28-year-old won the men's doubles with Finnish partner Harri Heliovaara at the All England Club, and has risen from 69th in the world to his current ranking of 14, having been as high as 12 in August.
That triumph was one of four titles won by the pair over the past 12 months - and although Patten and world number 16 Heliovaara lost in the semi-finals of last week's ATP Tour finals in Italy, they are now established among the doubles elite.
"After Wimbledon, we're a lot more on people's radar, we spend a lot more time with the top guys in the game now, week in, week out," Patten told BBC Essex Sport.
"Our [recent] results have been mixed so we haven't had a crazy good end to the year.
"In one sense it's been great in that it [winning Wimbledon] has given us confidence that we can compete with everyone and win any tournament we play but at the same time maybe there's more pressure there.
"Maybe guys are a little more prepared to play us, they're scouting us because we've been around a little bit more. It's mixed but I'm not complaining."
After Wimbledon, Patten and Heliovaara lost in the third round at the US Open but reached the final of the ATP 500 event in Beijing and added their most recent success in Stockholm last month.
"It's nice to reflect on what a journey this year has been," Patten added.
"I always had belief in myself, but at the same time tennis is a difficult sport and you have to respect the game that way.
"Some matches you win, some you lose and sometimes it's not necessarily in your control no matter how hard you're working or how much potential you have."
Patten, from Manningtree in Essex, is now planning a two-week break to visit his girlfriend in the USA before flying Down Under to begin preparations for the 2025 season.
"The tour starts in Australia - it's really early this year just with how the dates fall, so I'm going to fly out on 22 December, have Christmas there, which will be a first and an interesting experience, I'm quite looking forward to it," he added.
