I quit tennis to become a pilot but health condition wrecked my dream – so I returned to become 2024 Wimbledon champion
WHEN Harri Heliovaara quit tennis aged just 23, he would never have imagined that he’d become a Wimbledon champion one day.
The Finnish star, now 35, had reached a career-high No194 in the singles rankings – but a complex back issue thwarted his progress.
In 2013 he decided to hang up his racquet, instead going back to school in his native Finland.
While studying for a degree at Aalton University, Heliovaara followed his passion for aviation, taking a job at Helsinki Airport.
This setting was a far-cry from the luxurious All England Club, with the tennis star arriving at 5am most mornings in order to assist passengers.
Speaking to the ATP website earlier this year, Heliovaara lifted the lid on his unusual experience.
He said: “That also gave me another perspective. It was very interesting. Of course those are very high profile jobs.
“You’re working long hours, 16 hours a day. It feels like I didn’t do anything but work sometimes.”
Having given up on his tennis ambitions, Heliovaara settled into his new life.
He met wife Sini while working at Helsinki Airport, and despite interning with a private equity firm, decided to apply to become a pilot.
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Like his burgeoning tennis career, his aviation ambitions were also thwarted by his troublesome back.
In 2016, having been out of the sport for three years, Heliovaara finally received some encouraging news.
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He was diagnosed with Ankylosing spondylitis – a condition that affects the spine.
With the issue having been detected, Heliovaara was given medication that sparked new life into his tennis.
“We have had to change the medicine once already to a different shot, but I still take it every four weeks. I still have some problems,” Heliovaara admitted.
“I have had some eye infections a couple of times, some skin problems, all that comes with the back disease.
“But I found a way to live with it and feel good and do sports, which is an amazing thing for me.”
Despite having found peace with his new life at the airport, Heliovaara still had “fire inside” to see where tennis could take him.
He resumed life on the tour in 2017, cultivating a niche for himself as a successful doubles player.
With wife Sini still working at Helsinki Airport to this day, Heliovaara has gone from strength to strength on the ATP Tour.
He has now won seven doubles titles, including three with Brit Lloyd Glasspool, whose brother used to be in Hollyoaks.
Last year he earned his maiden Grand Slam trophy, winning the US Open mixed doubles title alongside Anna Danilina.
But yesterday he achieved the true pinnacle of his career, winning an astonishing men’s doubles final at Wimbledon 6-7 7-6 7-6 alongside Colchester lad Henry Patten.
‘I DIDN’T PLAY FOR FIVE YEARS’
After the incredible achievement alongside Patten, who himself used to work as an IBM statto at Wimbledon, Heliovaara admitted that he could never have imagined that he would win a title in SW19.
He explained: “I stopped playing when I was 23. I didn’t play for five years.
“Before that, I had achieved to play in the qualies of Wimbledon in the singles. I won one match in singles qualies. I thought that was very special. Very proud of that.
“I was working also in other jobs. For example, working for the Finnish Tennis Federation. (My uncle) asked for tickets to Wimbledon 10 years ago. I came here as a tourist with him. I realised there are many friends of mine playing the doubles.
“I think that’s one of the reasons that I started playing again, the trip to Wimbledon almost 10 years ago, after a five-year gap.
“I never thought I’d be here. I was dreaming of being a top-100 player in doubles, maybe making it a career. I never thought it would be this good.
“I can be proud of that.”