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Patten promises to show tennis ally his hometown

Lewis Adams,Essexand
Alistair Durden,at Wimbledon
News imageReuters Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten holding their large trophies aloft on Wimbledon's Centre Court. They are both wearing white T-shirts and smiling.Reuters
Harri Heliovaara (left) has been offered a tour of Manningtree by hometown hero Henry Patten (right)

Wimbledon champion Henry Patten has promised to show his doubles partner the "beautiful" countryside in his Essex hometown.

Patten said he was "really proud" to call Manningtree - known as England's smallest town - home.

The former Ipswich schoolboy joked about a statue being built by the River Stour in his honour, moments after clinching the men's doubles title with Harri Heliovaara on Saturday.

Heliovaara said while he loved being by the water, he wanted "to stay far away from that statue".

The world number ones have won three major titles, including Wimbledon twice, in as many years since joining forces in 2024.

They beat El Salvador's Marcelo Arevalo and Croatia's Mate Pavic 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-3) in front of a jubilant Centre Court crowd on Saturday.

Asked where he wanted his statue, Patten said: "If I was lucky enough to have a statue put up it would be in Manningtree, along The Walls somewhere. Maybe on the estuary.

"It's just a beautiful place and somewhere that I'm really, really proud to call home."

News imageTazzyBro Photography An aerial image of Manningtree. To the right is the River Stour, which has boats dotted across the water. There is also a small sandy beach. The street scene has lots of shops and houses, although it is small in size.TazzyBro Photography
Manningtree is the smallest town in England when it comes to geographical size

There were 874 people living in Manningtree at the time of the last UK census in 2021.

The town, which has a railway station serving London, is known for its independent shops and proximity to Constable Country.

"I've got to take him for a little walk along The Walls [and] experience Manningtree, Mistley," Patten said of Heliovaara.

Addressing his partner, he added: "You might end up moving there. Not if there's a statue of me, though."

Heliovaara responded: "No, I want to stay far away from that statue."

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