By Lawrence Ostlere
Play the ball, not the player, said Ollie Tarvet before the biggest match of his life against reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz. The flaw was that the ball came at the world No 733 faster than ever before, with more topspin revs and at a more devilish angle. It was still the same sport as the British qualifier鈥檚 wins on the US college scene in front of a few dozen spectators. And yet this was almost another game entirely, like how laying cheese on bread under the grill is, only technically, cooking.
Alcaraz鈥檚 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 victory came in two parts. The first set felt like watching a regular muggle playing tennis against the world No 2 on Centre Court. 鈥淚鈥檝e played against really good players before but not quite the level of Alcaraz,鈥 Tarvet said. 鈥淎s soon as I dropped to 95 per cent focus, I lost the game. When I missed the first serve, the guy鈥檚 up on the baseline [for the second serve] and it鈥檚 intimidating, he鈥檚 ready to make you run.鈥
Alcaraz generates around 3,200鈥痳pm on his forehand compared to an average of 2,700鈥痳pm on the ATP Tour, he averages 78mph from the baseline compared to a Tour average of 75mph, and his shot quality is rated as 8.62 by the ATP鈥檚 data bods, above Djokovic (8.54) and behind only Jannik Sinner (8.80). The result was that routine groundstrokes stunned the Centre Court crowd, like a moment midway through the first set when he cracked a cross-court winner 鈥 one of 38 in all 鈥 which brought audible gasps.
鈥淗e鈥檚 so effortless,鈥 Tarvet said. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 feel like he鈥檚 hitting the ball that hard but it comes through so quick and so heavy.鈥
Alcaraz produced pieces of magic, like the moment when he whipped the ball around the net post and on to the tramline 鈥 Tarvet鈥檚 challenge gave the crowd the chance to appreciate the accuracy on the big screen.
Yet the latter two sets of his victory were different. Tarvet鈥檚 eyes began to calibrate, adjusting to the flight of the ball in the same way players adjust from clay to grass. He broke serve in the second set, and again in the third as if to prove it was no fluke. How many Centre Court debutants wilt in the spotlight against great champions? The 21-year-old blossomed in the afternoon sunshine, fist-pumping his way around the court, each point a little confirmation of what he already suspected: that he could cope out here.
It proved Tarvet is far better than his lowly world ranking suggests. He has deliberately delayed his ascent to the professional ranks by taking the college route, enrolling at the University of San Diego on a communications and marketing course in order to mature in the nurturing, high-tech US system which shaped fellow Britons Cameron Norrie and Jacob Fearnley. Along the way he has won college tournaments and ITF Tour titles, the third tier of men鈥檚 tennis, honing his game in a sophisticated training environment against capable opposition.
It is a route not commonly trodden by elite European players, who tend to get out on the professional circuit far quicker. But it offers access to elite coaching and facilities, and a place to grow physically and mentally without the financial pressures that come with travelling around the pro tour, even if the college system鈥檚 draconian rules mean Tarvet can scoop only 拢10,000 of his 拢99,000 winnings for reaching the second round.
US college sport is a popular choice with European golfers, helping to mould Jon Rahm and Ludvig Aberg, and it is increasingly showing itself as a road to professional tennis. Norrie says he got 鈥渟tronger, smarter, and learned how to compete at a high level consistently鈥 at Texas Christian University, while coaches extol the virtues of their programmes. 鈥淎 lot of European kids are technically sound but not physically ready at 18,鈥 said former Georgia Tech & Florida coach Bryan Shelton. 鈥淐ollege gives them a runway without sacrificing competition.鈥
On only his second pro tour match, Tarvet rose to the occasion, playing with his chest out and chin up, roaring at hard-fought winners and vital holds of serve. He started to get a foothold late in the first set and then broke the Alcaraz serve to rouse the crowd, even if the threat of an upset was snuffed out a couple of minutes later when the Spaniard summoned Deity Mode to immediately break back.
The third set was tighter still and afterwards Alcaraz embraced Tarvet at the net, congratulating his opponent and telling him to keep working hard. 鈥淭he level we can see in college is pretty high,鈥 Alcaraz said, pointing out the record number, 26, of US college students and graduates playing at Wimbledon this year. 鈥淚t鈥檚 his second match on the tour and I just loved his game to be honest.鈥
So perhaps it is no surprise that Tarvet will not be dropping out of college just yet, even if a career in the professional game is calling. 鈥淣othing鈥檚 changed based on the last 10 days. I still want to go back to University of San Diego, it鈥檚 been incredible. I think I have a few things, a few creases in my game I need to iron out. I think if you give me a year, especially with the coaches that we have at USD, I think I鈥檒l be in a much better spot.鈥