Unknown British tennis star Oliver Tarvet has fought his way into the Wimbledon men’s draw with three big wins in qualifying. The All England Club has ramped up its prize money commitments this year, meaning that even first-round losers in the main draw will receive a handsome £66,000 paycheck.
That kind of sum would be a massive boost for a player like Tarvet, who is still serving his tennis apprenticeship at the University of San Diego and has only picked up around £11,000 in career prize money. But in a cruel twist, the Brit will be forced to hand back the vast majority of his Wimbledon earnings due to his amateur status.
Amateur college athletes are only permitted to claim a maximum of £7,300 per year from any prize money winnings to go towards expenses and entrance fees. So Tarvet faces the stomach-turning prospect of watching a huge payday slip through his fingers.
The youngster became the first British man to come through qualifying at Roehampton in eight years after defeating Terence Atmane, Alexis Galarneau and finally Alexander Blockx in the preliminary rounds.
And it seems as though that is enough to satisfy Tarvet, who tried to remain upbeat about his unusual prize money predicament.
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He said: “It’s a little bit awkward because I’ve got to find a lot of expenses and I really want to come back to the University of San Diego to complete my fourth year.
“What they’ve done for me is just incredible and I’m so grateful. I want to spend my fourth year there and really leave my mark on US history. I can claim up to $10,000 [£7,300] so I might be flying my coach on a private jet at home!”
Expanding on his tennis journey so far, Hertfordshire-born Tarvet said: “There are a lot of emotions but the main one is just happiness. There is a lot of work that’s gone into getting where I am today. It’s something that doesn’t happen too often so when you can enjoy it, I feel like it’s important to do it.
“Ever since I was a little kid, going to the Championships when you are nine, seeing the pros. It’s always been a big dream of mine and especially being from Britain it’s just a dream come true and I am just really, really happy to be part of it.”
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