Oliver Tarvet savours maiden Wimbledon victory in first-round

Wimbledon is famous for its strawberries and cream but for Oliver Tarvet, the taste of a maiden win is even sweeter.

The St. Albans star made the perfect start to his first-ever Grand Slam after defeating Switzerland's Leandro Riedi 6-4 6-4 6-4 to advance to the second round.

It puts a bow on a memorable few weeks for the British qualifier, after he became the first British man to progress through three rounds of qualifying and reach the main draw since 2017.

“It's a dream come true,” said Tarvet. “As a little kid, it's what you always kind of work towards.

“It was just really special this morning. I had a lot of adrenaline and a decent amount of nerves but I did a really good job of not letting the moment get too big and focussing on what's important to me and gives me success.

“I was trying to take it all in but at the same time, I have got a match to play and a job to do. I thought I did a good job kind of focussing on what's important.

“Obviously, now I can appreciate it a little bit more and let it sink in.

“Today was pretty funny because I would hear this voice that would be familiar. I'd quickly give a glance and it would be my old coach when I was 10 or 11 or my old friend when I was just young or an old player that I played when I was a little kid.

“It was nice seeing these familiar faces coming out to support me. It gave me a lot of energy and a lot of motivation to go out there and win.”

Nearly 200 places separated Tarvet from Riedi in the world rankings but that made no difference on court, with Tarvet comfortably clinching a straight sets success over the Swiss in front of boisterous home support.

Victory has thrust the 21-year-old into the limelight, with a potential scond round tie against reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz a potential reward.

But Tarvet has never been one to be star-struck, expressing full conviction that his brand of tennis can cause a sensational upset.

“For it to happen so suddenly has been really special,” added Tarvet. “You never know what can happen in tennis. If I do play him, I feel like nothing has changed. I've come here and not really set myself any expectations.

“I'm quietly confident that I can win against anyone. Alcaraz isn't an exception to that. Obviously, he's done an incredible amount in the tennis world. He's a difficult guy not to respect but I'll just go out there and try and treat it like another match.

“At the end of the day, I try and play the ball, not the player.”