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Oliver Tarvet Reveals Biggest Learnings from his Experience Playing Against Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Fahad Hamid | Last updated Jul 3, 2025 4:48 PM ET

Oliver Tarvet’s impressive Wimbledon run ended against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. Despite the straight-sets loss, the British qualifier showcased real grit and gave the world No. 2 a competitive match from the baseline.

Tarvet, ranked 733rd, kept up with Alcaraz for long spells. He hustled for every point and matched the Spaniard in rallies. But brief lapses in focus proved costly, as Alcaraz used those moments to take control quickly and decisively. Tarvet said in his post-match press conference:

Today, I learned how tough it is mentally. I have played against great tennis players, but nowhere near Alcaraz’s level. I felt that if I dropped to 95% mentally, I would lose the game. You could see that when I pushed to the maximum to break him twice, and he returned it blank in the next game because I emptied myself completely to break him. Yes, you break him, but then you have to confirm the break. It is very difficult to maintain that 100% intensity.

The young Brit is currently a college athlete in the United States. He has not committed to a full-time professional tennis career yet. His Wimbledon experience, however, showed promise and potential for the future. He added:

I think I can say that today I played at a level that I am not used to maintaining. I believe I have the level, but it is tough. If I wanted to beat Alcaraz, I needed to have maintained that specific level for five hours.

Though he earned £99,000 for reaching the second round, NCAA rules restrict him to just $10,000 in profit due to his amateur status. Tarvet had to fight through qualifying to even reach the main draw, making his performance all the more notable.

Carlos Alcaraz makes further history at Wimbledon

World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz made history with his second-round win over Oliver Tarvet at Wimbledon 2025. The 22-year-old outclassed the young British qualifier on Centre Court, producing a sharp performance that erased memories of his tough five-set opener.

Alcaraz broke Tarvet’s serve six times, twice in each set, as he secured a straight-sets victory. The world No. 2 looked far more composed than in his opening round and reaffirmed his place as the top title contender. He now owns a 9-0 record against players younger than himself.

The victory marked Alcaraz’s 30th consecutive win across Wimbledon and Roland Garros. He has not lost at either major since the 2023 French Open. His streak includes back-to-back titles at both tournaments in 2023 and 2024, as well as a third French Open crown in 2025.

With this latest milestone, Alcaraz became the youngest man in Open Era history to win 30 matches in a row across those two majors. At 22 years and 56 days, he beat the previous record set by Bjorn Borg, who reached that mark at 22 years and 356 days.

Carlos Alcaraz ends Oliver Tarvet’s dream

Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz had a much smoother outing in his second-round match at Wimbledon. After a tough five-set battle in the opener, he cruised past British qualifier Oliver Tarvet in straight sets. The scoreline read 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 on a bright Wednesday afternoon.

With the win, Alcaraz extended his unbeaten run to 20 matches. He also marked his 16th consecutive victory at Wimbledon. After his first-round win, he became the fastest player in the Open Era to reach 30 grass-court wins.

Now with 31 wins on the surface, the defending champion is building strong momentum. He will face Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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