The man British rookie Oliver Tarvet defeated in the Wimbledon first round has urged Carlos Alcaraz not to take him lightly. Tarvet arrived at the tournament ranked 733rd in the world and he came through qualifying to make it into the men’s main draw.
Tarvet, 21, is still a student at the University of San Diego (USD). But he has shown his effectiveness on grass over the past week and a half, with Swiss star Leandro Riedi falling 6-4 6-4 6-4 in round one. To say the standard of Tarvet’s opponent is about to increase is a gross understatement, with five-time Grand Slam winner and all-action 22-year-old Alcaraz lying in wait on Wednesday afternoon.
But Riedi spoke glowingly about Tarvet after their showdown on Monday. And the 23-year-old put his neck on the line by telling tennis fans they will be ‘hearing a lot about’ the Brit as his career unfolds.
“He’s a huge wall,” said Riedi, reflecting on his straight-sets defeat. “He moves incredibly well on the grass. He glided everywhere. His passing shots were mind-blowing. He served quite well. If he can keep this up, we’ll hear a lot about him in the future.”
Although Tarvet heads into his meeting with Alcaraz as an overwhelming underdog, he maintains that he has the capability to beat absolutely anyone – the second seed included.
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And his USD coach Ryan Keckley concurs. “In my opinion, Oli has proven himself worthy of any candidate here,” he said. “That’s the beauty about sport, you just never know.