Alcaraz's opponent Tarvet: The underdog who is now really stressed because of all the money

Oliver Tarvet will face a lot of stress at Wimbledon: The British nobody will play against Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion. And then there's the matter of money...

Oliver Tarvet isn't lacking in self-confidence. Afraid of Carlos Alcaraz? Not with the world number 733 in tennis. "I came here without any great expectations. I'm confident I can beat anyone. Alcaraz is no exception," said the Briton after his surprising 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 first-round victory over Swiss Leandro Riedi at the grass-court classic in Wimbledon.

As a reward, the 21-year-old will face a highlight match on Wednesday against defending champion and top star Alcaraz. Qualifier Tarvet, who had never played a main draw match at an ATP tournament before his Wimbledon coup, is determined to savor the match. "He's achieved an incredible amount in the tennis world," said the unknown, referring to the tennis giant: "It's difficult not to respect him." But that won't mean he'll hide from Alcaraz, who is ranked 731 places higher. And in one statistic, he's even equal to the Spanish superstar: Neither player has ever lost a first-round match in their Grand Slam appearances.

"He plays great tennis"

Alcaraz, however, is now a five-time major champion and is undefeated at Wimbledon in 15 matches. But the Spaniard is wary of his opponent: "He plays great tennis on grass, so if he's in the second round, he deserves it," said Alcaraz after his first-round marathon against Italian Fabio Fognini, whom he defeated in five sets after just under five hours. "He's at a great level, so I have to focus on that."

Tarvet only made it into the qualification stage thanks to a wildcard from the British Federation, and then his wild journey began: One after the other, the nobody beat the numbers 124, 126, and 210 in the world rankings – and then finally took advantage of his favorable draw and wiped out fellow qualifier Riedi, who had at least once already scratched the surface of the top 100. Now, one of the biggest challenges the sporting world currently has to offer awaits.

There's a world of difference between the two opponents in what appears to be by far the most decisive duel of this year's tournament, even financially: While Alcaraz has already earned more than €6 million in the current season alone up until the start of Wimbledon, Tarvet has earned just under €2,500. And the Brit hasn't received anything from the first big payday of his young career – at least not yet. A place in the second round at Wimbledon brings around €120,000, but Tarvet will only be able to take home a fraction of that from London: According to the rules of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), college players are currently allowed to collect prize money equal to their actual and necessary expenses, no more.

"The rest will be retained by Wimbledon"

"His actual and necessary expenses are calculated based on the entire year and include all expenses he actually incurred and that would have been necessary for his participation, such as training fees, coaching fees, and travel expenses for him and his family," explained the University of San Diego, where Tarvet plays and trains, in response to an inquiry from ntv.de. "Ultimately, he can accept the prize money, provided he doesn't accept more than his actual expenses for participation. The remainder will be retained by Wimbledon." However, "Wimbledon can retain the prize money for up to two years. Oliver is still eligible to compete in the NCAA for one more year."

After his triumph over Riedi, to whom he didn't allow a single break point in the entire match, Tarvet commented on this particular challenge with a grin: "I have to raise 60,000 to 70,000 pounds in expenses. Tennis is an expensive sport, so I hope I can manage that. I'll just pay my coaches a bit more. Fly business class..." While still on court, the Briton had announced to his home crowd: "I'm not here for the money, but for the crowd, the experience, and simply to make my mark. I think I've done a good job of that so far." Should Tarvet pull off the truly sensational match, the troubles would really begin for him: 152,000 pounds (around 177,000 euros) would be up for grabs just for reaching the third round. And you have to spend that on tennis first...

But Tarvet won't worry about that yet. He'd prefer not to worry about it at all. "There was a lot of adrenaline and a fair amount of nerves," Tarvet admitted after his match against Riedi on the small Court 4. "I did well not to let the moment get too big. I tried to take it all in, but at the same time, I have a match to play and a job to do. I think I did a good job of focusing on the essentials."

Before Wimbledon, he once played in front of 800 people in a college match, and now he'll face one of the best tennis players of his generation on Wimbledon's gigantic, 15,000-seat Centre Court. He plans to approach the (yet again) biggest match of his career with a relaxed attitude: "Of course, I'll try to treat Wednesday like any other match," Tarvet said. "I'm truly overjoyed to be in this situation. All the hard work of the past few years has clearly paid off."

"Maybe I'll hire someone..."

Tarvet was born and raised in St. Albans, a community just 40 kilometers from Wimbledon. The young Brit has called San Diego home for the past three years. While they're delighted with their protégé's performance, they're not particularly surprised: "Ollie continues to impress in more ways than one," said USD coach Alex Funkhouser, who also coaches Tarvet in London, after the match. "He's earned this position through the consistent work he puts in day after day. That work has led him to believe he can not only compete at this level, but also win."

Tarvet has been playing for the University of San Diego for three years now – and he's not going to leave even after the big payday, that miraculous foray into the big tennis world. Quite the opposite: "I might hire someone to help me with expenses and keep the NCAA happy," he explained. "Like I said, that's very important to me. I still have a lot of goals at USD." But now, the biggest challenge of his tennis career awaits. And after that, comes the matter of money.