Meet the coaches who fired Oliver Tarvet towards a Wimbledon showdown with Carlos Alcaraz
The first steps on a tennis journey can make or break a young player, so it was fitting that Olivier Tarvet paid tribute to his junior coaches after a stunning win that set up a second-round clash with Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon.
British hopeful Tarvet came through qualifying before beating Leandro Reidi 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in a brilliant performance on Court 4 at the All England Club.
Tarvet, who has a world ranking of No 733, showed no signs of nerves as he won on his Grand Slam debut and he admitted the presence of coaches and friends who have played a part in getting him to Wimbledon boosted his hopes against Reidi.
“It was pretty funny because I would hear this voice that would be familiar,” said Tarvet in an impressive press conference performance that was as polished as his display on court.
“I’d quickly give a glance. It would be my old coach when I was 10 or 11 or my old friend when I was young. It was amazing.”
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Shortly after Tarvet’s remarkable win, three of his former coaches sat down with Tennis365 for an exclusive interview in the media area at Wimbledon and the joy they felt watching the protégé realise one of his great tennis dreams shone through.
Tarvet was born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, and he cut his teeth on court at the Batchwood Tennis Centre with his first coach Ben Wood and then also worked with Barry Figg and Jordan Gazard as he developed the skills that eventually took him to Wimbledon.
Tarvet has taken his career to the next level by moving to America and playing in the competitive US college system for the University of San Diego, with the three mentors who helped to set him on his way so proud of the role they played in his story.
“He came in to us as part of a programme called mini aces and they tried to allocate coaches to the players and I got Oliver when he was about six years old, so I was his first ever individual coach,” began Wood, speaking exclusively to Tennis365.
“He stood out more than anyone I have ever coached before. By a mile. There were so many levels of the game that he was ahead of other players in that age group.
“I was involved for two years with him at Batchwood and what I would say about him is he always wanted to be a winner. He was unbelievably competitive. More than anyone you could ever meet. It meant everything to him.
“We all work at Batchwood to create the best of the best and this is the pinnacle of everything in tennis, so it’s amazing to see Oliver out there winning. We all have immense pride that we have been part of his journey in some small way.”
Gazard was a young coach and a top county player in his own right when he started working with Tarvet, as he joined in as a hitting partner and then travelled with the rising star to tournaments around the country.
“I did my apprenticeship at Batchwood when I was 16 and he was also working with Jamie Fallis at that stage,” recalled Jordan. “I would be the hitter and Jamie would be around the other side, leading the coaching.
“Then, as I got a bit older, I started doing one-on-ones with Oli, would pick him up from school and do lessons with him. I would travel to tournaments with him and what happened at Wimbledon is just amazing for all of us that have been involved. We all know how hard it is to reach this level of tennis. We are just so happy to see him do it.”
Barry Figg also coached Tarvet at Batchwood, working with him in group sessions and playing a part in his development.
“We all shared the load as a lot of commitment is needed when a young player is travelling and starts to move up that ladder,” Barry told us.
“When you have so many young players travelling to tournaments and we all took it in turns to go with our players and I remember one trip to Ireland with Oliver especially clearly. Dublin was a real standout period for me because I spent a week with him and I’ll never forget how determined he was.
“He won the tournament and I remember how dedicated he was. He’d always be looking at YouTube to see how he could improve. He was always obsessed with tennis.”
The prospect of playing defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz in his next match might send a shiver of fear down the spine of some young players, but Gazard believes Tarvet will relish the challenge.
“I think he will expect to do well,” he added. “He has such high expectations of himself and he’s had that from a young age. He’s always had a massive belief in himself.
“Some people might think this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I need to enjoy it. He will be thinking he has a chance. He will always think that if he puts his best game put there, he can beat anyone.”
Tarvet’s incredible success at Wimbledon has seen him leap 340 places in the Live ATP Rankings and he is set to be in the top 400 when the list is updated after Wimbledon.
If his fairy tale continues with a win against Alcaraz, the breakthrough moment in the career of Tarvet will become life-changing.
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