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Watch gutted Wimbledon doubles runner-up snap back at Centre Court crowd for laughing at ‘devastated’ partner
British champ was former stats man while partner worked in Helsinki airport
A GUTTED Wimbledon runner-up snapped back at the Centre Court crowd for laughing at his "devastated" partner.
Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson came agonisingly close to winning the men's doubles.
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But despite having three Championship points, they could not convert any of them.
And that enabled Brit Henry Patten and his Finnish partner Harri Heliovaara to come back and win 6-7 7-6 7-6 in two hours and 49 minutes to secure their maiden Grand Slams.
It was pure joy and ecstasy for Patten and Heliovaara who simply could not believe they had won it.
But for the Australian pairing of Purcell and Thompson, the heartache was clear to see.
And when Thompson was asked in his on-court interview how he was feeling, the dejected star simply said: "Beyond devastated," followed by an almost ironic sigh.
That prompted a smattering of chuckles from the Centre Court crowd - which included A-listers Tom Cruise, Hugh Jackman and Zendaya.
But the reaction did not go down well with Thompson's buddy Purcell.
He chipped in on the other microphone: "Don't laugh at him," in a justified rebuttal to defend his team-mate.
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Thompson added: "We were so close. Championship points. This is the way tennis goes and it's tough."
Purcell then said: "I'm glad it was a great match for the crowd and I'm super happy for the boys, they deserved it.
British former Wimbledon stat man wins men's doubles title as partner breaks down in tears live on TV
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"Enjoy it guys, you don't know how many times you'll be back out here. All the best."
Heliovaara was totally overwhelmed with emotion when the astonishing victory was confirmed as his serve was netted on return by Thompson after three full sets without a single break of serve.
Patten worked at Wimbledon for Andy Murray's 2016 win as a stat-man for IMG.
And his coach Calvin Betton even skipped watching Manic Street Preachers and Suede in a gig in Leeds to see his star become a Grand Slam champion.
Patten, 28, said: “It couldn’t have been a closer match.
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“The most special thing is to do it in front of so many people who have come over, family members and best friends. Thank you.”
Heliovaara, who worked at Helsinki airport for several years before returning to tennis, said: “We got lucky. The tears say it all. It’s very emotional.”
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Tennis stars’ new careers
PLENTY of tennis stars have stayed involved in the sport since retiring.
But others pursued very different careers. Here are some of the best…
- I reached French Open and Wimbledon finals as a teenager but I quit to become a nun
- I won Wimbledon mixed doubles with my sister but got fed up with English weather so now run luxury B&B
- I was tipped for stardom aged 12 but retrained to become high-flying lawyer
- I earned £9m and won French Open before setting up bistro with Brazilian model girlfriend
- I’m last Frenchman to win Roland Garros, now I’m singer with six albums hitting No1 in charts
- I'm former world No1 but quit aged 29 - instead I went on to play professional poker and golf
- I was destined for the top but swapped lobs for labs as award-winning Harvard physicist
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