From San Diego to Wimbledon: meet Britain’s college hotshot Oliver Tarvet

Two weeks ago, 21-year-old Oliver Tarvet concluded his third and penultimate year at the University of San Diego, basking in the sunshine on America’s west coast. “Excited for one more,” he posted on Instagram, at that stage unaware of the green-floored opportunity ahead. Fast-forward a fortnight, to Friday, and Tarvet will be one of 128 players to take his place in the men’s singles draw for Wimbledon. Not half bad.

“This seemed so far away when I was a little kid,” said Tarvet, from St Albans, whose world ranking of 719 makes him the British No 33. “Now it’s a reality, it’s obviously a great feeling. Winning on Monday [round one] was something I didn’t expect, but I just kept on surprising myself this week.”

Given an unexpected wild card for qualifying, Tarvet made a mockery of the numbers and – as the second-lowest ranked player in the draw – became the first British man in eight years to qualify for Wimbledon. Needless to say, he’ll be the lowest-ranked player next week, by an astonishing 236 places.

Tarvet’s impressive four-set victory, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, over Belgian player Alexander Blockx, ranked 579 places higher, in the final round on Thursday was met with jubilation in the unique setting of the 770-capacity Court 1, at the Bank of England Sports Centre in Roehampton; an old-school, makeshift venue which acts as the traditional gateway to the big dance at the All England Club, three miles down the road.

Tarvet had supremely passed his first two tests this week in straight sets, stunning world No 126 Terence Atmane in round one. Yet Thursday’s final round presented something different from London’s recent heatwave. With grey clouds overhead, the scene was decidedly gloomy but fortuitously, the Briton is well accustomed to swirly conditions.

“Luckily, I play in wind because we’re right by the coast, we get that coastal breeze,” he says of his time at San Diego, where he is majoring in Communications, with a minor in Marketing. “This is a bit more swirly, a bit more unpredictable. In San Diego, it’s a bit more consistent.

“A lot of it is about being scrappy. There’s going to be bad bounces, but I did a good job just accepting it and making the most of it.”

The first two sets were split, immediately placing Tarvet into new territory in his first best-of-five set match. Yet after a mid-match downpour, forcing the players off court for 45 minutes, Tarvet played lights out on his return, storming to the third set and a double-break lead in the decider.

The wind picked up as he served out the match, but with an ace crisply sweeping the chalk on match point, the college star chucked his racket up in the air in unparalleled euphoria. He would later tell of “mad” reactions on his college WhatsApp group – and a £66,000 first-round prize, on paper, awaits him next week, yet he will only be able to pick up $10,000 (£7,279) worth of that prize, given his status as a college athlete.

“After the rain delay, I did a really good job coming out with really good energy,” he added. “It’s really special. It was my first best-of-five match and it’s something I knew I was ready for. I just need that same confidence going into next week.”

Tarvey is the latest in a line of British players who are utilising the ultra-competitive US college system as a means of launching a professional career. Cameron Norrie and, just last year, Jacob Fearnley have all impressed stateside before steamrolling into the world’s top-100, largely as a result of eye-catching results on the grass. Could Tarvet be next in line?

“It’s incredible, college definitely teaches you to be loud and competitive,” Tarvey says, of an environment he has clearly thrived in. He won the singles and doubles at the ITA All-American Championships in September, the first man since 2015 to hold both trophies.

“Even if you’re top-10 in the world, college is such a great option. I was a little bit immature when I was 18, I was not ready to be independent of for the loneliness of the tour. It’s a really good option to help you mature and develop your game.

“In college tennis, usually the more competitive team wins. You have 10 guys screaming your name, it’s tough not to play well and enjoy the moment. Generally, I play my best when I’m more energetic.”

Yet while Tarvey will be keeping a firm eye on Friday morning’s draw, compatriot Hamish Stewart agonisingly missed out on a Wimbledon spot after a four-set defeat.

The 25-year-old, from Strathblane in Scotland, who came through pre-qualifying last week as well, was very much in the contest at 4-4 in the fourth set, albeit a set down, but did not win a point after the rain delay, with the world No 550 losing seven points on the bounce to Switzerland’s Leandro Riedi.

Emily Appleton, the only British woman in the last round of qualifying, fought back to take the second set in her match against Veronika Erjavec, but won just seven points thereafter as the Slovenian progressed in three sets, 6-2, 2-6, 6-0.