Henry Patten still has a chance to win the Nitto ATP Finals with partner Harri Heliovaara, but the Brit has already earned a win for life this week.
On Sunday, the day before Patten played his first game of the season finale, he got engaged to longtime partner Ellie Stone.
“I’ve been with Ellie for almost ten years now,” Patten told ATPTour.com. “It came at a certain point and as a tennis player I don’t see her that often all year. And this is one of the trips she chose.”
Patten conquered the ring during Wimbledon and has been waiting for the special moment ever since, always with an eye on Turin. The 29-year-old arrived a day before Stone and explored the city in search of the perfect spot. Eventually he discovered Basilica di Superga, which overlooks the city.
“Somehow it was very quiet. I went there in the morning, it was a really beautiful day, and then I told her to look at the chimneys and made an excuse and then proposed,” Patten said. “She was very, very happy, I’m happy to report. And…” [she was] surprised, which I think earns bonus points.”
The doubles standout played college tennis at the University of North Carolina Asheville, where he met Stone, who was on the football team. They have been together ever since.
It’s difficult for them to spend time together year-round because Stone is in her second year of medical residency in North Carolina.
“Officially she’s a doctor, but she’s in the process of completing full medical training there,” Patten said. “She doesn’t get much time off and she can’t travel much. It’s not like she can do her work remotely. She’s in the hospital all the time.”
As excited as he was, Patten had to quickly refocus to take the field at the Inalpi Arena on Monday for his opening match of the year-end championships with Heliovaara against Christian Harrison and Evan King.
“I was a lot more nervous about my engagement than I was about playing my first game,” Patten said with a laugh. “I can tell you that for free.”
Heliovaara and Patten are 1-1 in the John McEnroe Group and still have a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals. The Brit hopes to get as far as possible in Turin, but will leave the city with his head held high.
“It’s such a big deal to me, so much more important. We’ve been together for 10 years and I’ll spend the rest of my life with her, which I’m incredibly excited about,” Patten said of his engagement. “It’s crazy because it’s obviously one of the biggest [tournaments]but it has taken quite a large backseat. That said, we still take tennis quite seriously.”
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