British tennis star Henry Patten, contemporary off his Wimbledon doubles victory, opened up about his ardour for chess in an unique interview with Chess.com and revealed the sport has sharpened his thoughts and benefited his tennis profession.
Patten is a British skilled tennis participant, who has been ranked as excessive as world number-17 in doubles and attained a career-high singles rating of world number-462 in 2022, akin to a 2550-2600-rated grandmaster in chess.
In an exhilarating closing final month, he clinched the Wimbledon doubles title alongside his Finnish accomplice Harri Heliovaara, their third profession doubles title on the ATP Tour.
Again from the brink 🤯🫨
Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten save three Championship factors to defeat Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell 6-7(7), 7-6(8), 7-6(11-9) and win the Gents’s Doubles title 🏆#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/uAiSc5Jj14
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 13, 2024
However Patten is not only a famend tennis participant, he additionally has a deep ardour for chess and is taking part in actively on Chess.com. Our personal FM Mike Klein carried out an unique interview with the 28-year-old, who shared an enchanting glimpse into his journey to tennis glory and the way chess has benefited his tennis profession.
Patten did not play a lot chess whereas a university tennis participant at UNC Asheville, NC, however like so many others picked up the sport significantly in the course of the pandemic. Since then he has turn out to be an avid chess participant, a lot in order that he even performs chess throughout tournaments or earlier than matches.
“I simply love the technique. I like the sport. I like competing. I am a aggressive individual and I like to win and hate to lose in chess. I simply actually find it irresistible and it occurs to slot in rather well with my profession proper now,” he instructed Klein.
I simply love the technique. I like the sport. I like competing. I am a aggressive individual and I like to win and hate to lose in chess.
—Henry Patten
On his Chess.com account Patten has performed shut to three,000 video games throughout all time-controls, and has solved nearly 10,000 puzzles. His peak puzzle score of 2300 exhibits he has come a great distance already. Whereas competing in Wimbledon, he even performed 4 video games, successful twice and dropping the opposite two. “Chess has helped me strategically. I like to play it to move time at occasions to sort of maintain my thoughts working and energetic. It has positively helped me.”
It was unlikely decisive for his triumph in Wimbledon, however it most actually did not harm to play this wonderful speedy recreation a number of days earlier than the beginning:
This is Patten’s every day chess routine: “I all the time attempt to do the every day puzzle. That is the very first thing that I will do. And perhaps fireplace up a number of different puzzles. That is my every day touchpoint of chess. I get up and I do the every day puzzle on Chess.com, relying on the place I’m on the planet due to the time variations. However yeah, I do the every day puzzle on Chess.com and a fast crypto crossword puzzle on my telephone. That sort of will get me prepared for the day.”
“I have been slacking on the reside video games. It has been a annoying few weeks. However I’ve usually been taking part in extra every day video games, and I additionally love that as a result of it simply means I can decide up my telephone at any time in the course of the day, play a transfer, after which I, you realize, I haven’t got to fret about it for nevertheless lengthy,” Patten stated.
Why do you like every day over bullet, or is it simply sort of the temper you are in on the time? Klein requested.
“It is the temper I am in. Bullet and blitz is annoying for me. My favourite time controls are most likely speedy, so sort of quarter-hour plus. And I prefer to have an increment if I am taking part in, so it does not get too shut on the finish. And in addition every day video games. I believe if I used to be higher at chess, perhaps I want to play blitz and bullet. I do know one in every of my actually good buddies, a British participant, I believe his score is 1900, he is bought it as much as on, on blitz, in order that’s nice to see and is inspiring for me.”
The chess world is not new to listening to about tennis stars drawn to chess. Wimbledon legend Boris Becker has appeared throughout main chess occasions and famously performed Garry Kasparov in an exhibition recreation in New York in 2000. He misplaced after 18 strikes.
In 2014, 24-time Grand Slam singles winner Novak Djokovic shared a picture of taking part in chess in opposition to the German legend earlier than the beginning of Wimbledon. Becker later appeared on the opening of the 2019 SuperBet Grand Chess Tour the place he performed in opposition to GM Fabiano Caruana.
Along with Djokovic, the opposite two of the “Massive Three” are additionally identified chess followers. Rafael Nadal, whom Magnus Carlsen stated has impressed him for his tenacious type on the courtroom, was lately pictured carrying a tournament-sized wood chessboard throughout a event in Sweden.
20-time Grand Slam Champion Roger Federer has additionally spoken repeatedly about his love for the sport. Final summer time the Swiss legend even met ChessKid Ambassador FM Tanitoluwa Adewumi for a recreation in New York Metropolis. Adewumi later estimated his stage to be round 1500.
Federer ended his profession in 2022 and joked only a few months in the past that he’ll be spending his retirement by taking part in on-line chess in opposition to strangers. Does Patten assume he has higher probabilities in opposition to the 42-year-old in tennis or chess?
“I will take my probabilities over the chessboard. I believe! I’d like to play chess in opposition to him. I believe on the doubles courtroom I would most likely again myself. In singles, there hasn’t actually been a participant like him for fairly a while, so I would not be daring sufficient to say that I’d beat him on the singles courtroom proper now.”
I will take my probabilities over the chessboard, I believe! I’d like to play chess in opposition to him.
—Henry Patten on going through Roger Federer in chess
We may go on and on with examples of chess-loving tennis stars, however ATP world number-one Carlos Alcaraz additionally deserves a point out. Alcaraz lately spoke about his ardour for the sport in an interview with Vogue: “I like chess. Having to pay attention, to play in opposition to another person, technique—having to assume forward. I believe all of that’s similar to the tennis courtroom.”
The Spanish 21-year-old even appeared as a bot on Chess.com final yr, however it was no match for the British Wimbledon winner who revealed: “I performed him and beat him. I made a degree to play him, and I took him down. So I used to be very happy with that.”
Patten additionally talked in regards to the many similarities between the sports activities: “We all the time will do a sort of scouting report on our opponents irrespective of who we’re taking part in. So we’ll give you particular strengths and weaknesses that they may have and the way we will goal that,” he stated.
“Clearly they’re very completely different video games in their very own proper. However the technique in singles particularly, but additionally doubles. It is fairly a person sport too. And also you’re sort of left on the market by yourself. I believe chess has helped my tennis rather a lot.”
I believe chess has helped my tennis rather a lot.
—Henry Patten
Whereas tennis gamers have been drawn to chess, there’s additionally loads of chess gamers drawn to tennis. GMs Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and Gukesh Dommaraju, to call only a few, are all eager gamers. Why is that?
“That is a extremely good query. I can clarify it from my facet, however I suppose perhaps it is the sort of one versus one side that’s actually enticing most likely to chess gamers, into tennis, and in comparison with different sports activities. Perhaps tennis is a little more strategic and it is not simply pure sort of athleticism. There’s plenty of technique concerned attempting to focus on weaknesses and plan out your level in that approach,” Patten stated.
Unseeded. Unstoppable.
Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten are the primary unseeded pair to win the Gents’s Doubles Trophy since 2014 🏆#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/QawPcm0KkV
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 13, 2024
Do you could have any chess heroes or stars that you just look as much as?
“Definitely Magnus Carlsen, and Hikaru. They’re phenomenal gamers. Levy Rozman, GothamChess, after all. I’ve watched so a lot of his movies. A few years in the past I used to be mainly falling asleep to his movies each night time <snigger>. I do not know if that is a superb or a foul factor for him, however I cherished his movies. Eric Rosen, who I believe performs a little bit of tennis as properly, I watched a bunch of his movies. So tons people who I take pleasure in to look at, admire enormously.”
I’ve watched so a lot of his movies. A few years in the past I used to be mainly falling asleep to his movies each night time.
—Henry Patten on GothamChess
Patten’s path to Wimbledon victory this July, was marked by intense moments, together with a number of match factors within the finals. Patten mirrored on the strain they have been going through, “I’ve actually watched the tiebreak and clearly I’ve seen the video of the match level over and over. It was a extremely particular emotional second for me and my accomplice.”
Patten’s subsequent occasions are in Washington, Montreal, and Cincinnati earlier than he’ll be taking part in the US Open, “It is one in every of my favourite tournaments. So I am actually wanting ahead to that,” he stated.
Each the chess world and the tennis world will definitely be watching Patten’s subsequent strikes with nice curiosity.
