ROLAND GARROS

June 4, 2026

Harri Heliovaara

Henry Patten

Press Conference

HELIOVAARA-PATTEN/Halys-Herbert

6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Congrats. Happy Birthday, Harri.

HARRI HELIOVAARA: Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: You haven't dropped a set, and you are in the final for the first time in the French Open. How do you feel?

HARRI HELIOVAARA: Pretty pleased. Yeah, thank you for the reminding that it's my birthday. Not getting younger.

But, no, three things: birthday, being here being in the final, and clinching the No. 1 spot in the rankings. It's a pretty good day. It's up there.

HENRY PATTEN: Yeah, well, it's not my birthday, unfortunately. The other two things apply to me as well. Yeah, we're feeling very pleased. We really want to try and do well in the final. Even though we've achieved a lot, as Harri said, our full focus is still on the last match, yeah.

But, yeah, we're happy, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. What are you doing for your birthday, first of all? Have you got plans tonight, dinner? What are you going to do? Going to bed early?

HARRI HELIOVAARA: It's not a bad birthday if you've started on Suzanne-Lenglen Court and enjoy playing tennis. That's what I love the most in life outside of family time. That's the No. 1.

To be honest, I haven't thought about the rest of the day.

Q. Are you having dinner to celebrate the final, your birthday, and the World No. 1?

HARRI HELIOVAARA: I think I need to ask Henry, because he hasn't given us any team dinners so far this tournament.

HENRY PATTEN: I'm sticking to a very strict routine of takeaway moussaka.

HARRI HELIOVAARA: Yeah, we do have a day off tomorrow, so this could be a chance for a very rare team dinner.

HENRY PATTEN: 100%, yeah.

Q. What does it mean to be World No. 1? Obviously, as we spoke the other day, now it's confirmed, I think, isn't it, because you're in the final regardless of who you play.

HARRI HELIOVAARA: As long as we don't get defaulted in the final.

HENRY PATTEN: Yes. You never know. With my history (laughing)...

HARRI HELIOVAARA: That would be different kind of history made right there.

Q. Seriously, that would completely kibosh...

HARRI HELIOVAARA: It would take away the points and the money, so let's not do that.

HENRY PATTEN: Yeah, yeah. Well, it means a lot to us. There's no one here. I wish it meant more to the wider tennis world, but to us it's everything that we work towards. Every day spent away from home, from family is for things like this that we really want to achieve.

Yeah, it's amazing. I join a long list of other Brits who have also done it, so it's amazing to now be in their company and join them as an ATP World No. 1. It's an incredible achievement for me. I know in Finland, it's probably an even bigger deal for you. Well, obviously Henri did it, but apart from that, not many.

Yeah, it's a huge achievement for us and something that we have wanted to do for a long time now.

Q. Do you remember the first tournament that you worked together? And at that event, did you ever discuss ambitions or goals or aspirations?

HENRY PATTEN: Yes, but we were just laughing because, Calvin, our coach, will say, Let's get to Turin. We always say, Don't be so ridiculous.

Actually, he's been right the whole time, for once (smiling).

Yeah, not when we first started, though, no. I think I was probably 60, 70 in the rankings. You dropped to 40, 50s. 30, 40, 50, something like that? So we've come a long way, and it's been a fantastic journey that we've savored.

Q. What was the first tournament? At the risk of me looking up...

HARRI HELIOVAARA: Marrakesh in '24.

Q. It's just clicked. For two years. You've won Wimbledon.

HARRI HELIOVAARA: Yeah, we won that first tournament, first of all. That was a good start. Yeah, Wimbledon soon after. Aussie Open.

Last year here we had the chance to be No. 1 in the world, one match away, one win away. That time we lost 6-3, 6-4. Maybe we learned something, because this year we had the same chance and won 6-3, 6-4.

Q. Obviously Joe and Neal lost last year. It's very easy to get into the final, celebrate it, and then take your eye off the ball a little bit?

HENRY PATTEN: I mean, I'm sure they didn't take their eye off the ball. No, that's one of the biggest parts of being a tennis player. Yeah, there's always another match.

Even after the final, then we've got six days until Queen's or something like that. Yeah, you don't get much room to take time and celebrate achievements.

I'm sure we will after the week's done, before we start getting ready for Queen's, but yeah, our full focus will be on the final and trying to get another slam, because that's what we're in the business for. Those are the moments that we crave, I suppose, as tennis players.

Q. From a British perspective, I think 1933 was the last time a British man won this particular -- there was two of them -- won this particular title. I know you're not going to think about that when you are playing. There is history on the line, an acknowledgment that it hasn't been done post-war.

HENRY PATTEN: Yeah, it's impossible to escape. I say we want to fully focus on the match, but obviously you're playing for a Grand Slam, and I think you have to accept that part before you're able to then play well.

You have to accept, yes, there's history on the line. Yes, we're playing for a Grand Slam. But then accept that and just try and do your best on the court.

Q. On a personal note, ten years ago you were working for IBM at Wimbledon? This ten-year journey -- I know Harri obviously played a huge part in that, but on a personal level, has it all gone better than you would have thought basically to be putting yourself in contention? Have you always believed that you had that talent?

HENRY PATTEN: Well, I want to make it clear that the IBM thing was a summer job while I was at university in North Carolina in Asheville. So I was playing fairly competitive tennis at the same time. It wasn't like I quit tennis and worked for IBM full-time, like Harri did. I was in a little bit of a different situation.

But, yeah, I never thought that I would be playing in a Grand Slam, let alone competing for one. I always thought I was a pretty good player, and I think I've always taken pride in myself to -- at each stage of my development, I think I've done well and that I've been able to learn quite a lot and absorb from people around me at each level, and that's enabled me to climb up the rankings.

So in terms of the process, I give myself quite a lot of credit for how I've gone up. But if you take me back to that time, there's absolutely no chance that I would think that I would be where I am now. That's safe to say.

Probably the same for you (laughing).

Q. Just give us an insight into what you do -- maybe you don't do anything, but are you listening to music, having a pre-match chat or a meal? What are you doing in the build-up to the final on Saturday? Is there anything in particular or interesting that you'll do as a couple or as a partnership?

HENRY PATTEN: No (laughing).

HARRI HELIOVAARA: As far as I know, it will be at 11:00 on Saturday, which is nice, because we've found ourselves in a very early rhythm this week. The first week in Roland Garros we were playing late, practicing late. Now, all of a sudden, it feels like we're every day here very early.

Practiced two days ago when it was raining. We came here, practiced on Chatrier at 8:00 a.m. just to get a feel on that court, and it was definitely worth it, because now we'll be playing a match on Chatrier on Saturday.

I don't think we need that much to adjust what we're doing. Just come here early, do our thing.

Q. What time would you eat if you are playing at 11:00? Would you eat at 6:00 or 7:00 or 8:00?

HARRI HELIOVAARA: Breakfast at 7:00 and then lunch at 10:00. Rice and chicken at 10:00 a.m. For me that's perfect.

Q. Early lunch, though, isn't it?

HARRI HELIOVAARA: I love it.

HENRY PATTEN: It's the worst.

Q. Have you been on Chatrier before? Have you been able to...

HENRY PATTEN: Other than that hit, no. Well, that was the first time you'd ever seen the court.

HARRI HELIOVAARA: Yeah, I played this tournament five times. Never even seen the court.

Q. So like Centre Court, it's another box ticked, isn't it?

HENRY PATTEN: It's amazing, yeah. Fantastic. It was the same on Lenglen, to be honest. We hadn't played on there. Well, I hadn't. You hadn't?

HARRI HELIOVAARA: No.

HENRY PATTEN: We hadn't played on there. You start looking at the courts that we've had the privilege to play on. Yeah, not many people get to do that in their lifetime, so feeling very lucky about that.

Q. Just finally, family and friends, what's happening now? You've got the benefit of a day off. Are they all coming on the Eurostar or traveling from Finland?

HENRY PATTEN: My parents came last night on the Eurostar, yeah, exactly, to watch this. I had a friend here, but he has to go back for a wedding, so he won't be here, sadly. Ellie, my fiancee, may or may not come. We'll see. She just sent me a message, Should I come?

Q. Is that for superstitious reasons?

HENRY PATTEN: No, no, no, no. She was here at the start of the week but had to go back for work. Her work schedule is crazy, but maybe I'll be able to persuade her to come for a weekend. We'll see. From the States. And she's a doctor, yeah.

Q. So it's not easy to just come.

HENRY PATTEN: No, she'll have to probably be at work on Monday morning. It's a difficult job to do remotely (laughing).

HARRI HELIOVAARA: We have both of our kids' birthday parties on Sunday morning. Luckily, luckily, we organized on Sunday, knowing that in case I'm in the final here, I probably still can make it home before that, but...

Q. Is this Helsinki that you are talking about?

HARRI HELIOVAARA: Yeah, yeah.

Q. Life gets in the way.

HARRI HELIOVAARA: Yeah, I mean, there's no better --

HENRY PATTEN: Tennis gets in the way of life, I think you mean.

HARRI HELIOVAARA: Nothing is better than that. I can play the final. Doesn't matter win or lose, we still have a birthday party for the kids, and they will not care as long as I'm at home.