World No.719 Oliver Tarvet has described his ‘dream come true’ after qualifying for Wimbledon for the first time in his career. After winning through to the final preliminary round at the Community Sport Centre in Roehampton, the 21-year-old beat Belgian player Alexander Blockx 6-3 3-6 6-2 6-1.

Tarvet let out a roar of relief as he converted match point. As well as a place in the main draw, the British youngster has also secured the biggest payday of his career. He’s guaranteed at least £66,000 for playing in the first round, a figure that will rise to £99k if he wins his opening match.

Tarver has made just £2.1k in prize money this season, and only £10k in his whole career. Speaking afterwards, the Batchwood Tennis Academy graduate couldn’t conceal his delight after securing the most significant victory of his career.

“There’s a lot of emotions but the main one is just happiness,” he told the BBC. “There is a lot of work that’s gone into getting where I am today, a lot of people who have worked hard to help me not only get through this qualification but the last year, two years. It’s something that doesn’t happen too often so when you can enjoy it, I feel like it’s important to do it.”

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Asked by Annabel Croft how long he’s harboured ambitions of playing at SW19, he replied: “Ever since I was a little kid, going to the Championships when you are nine, seeing the pros. It’s always been a big dream of mine and especially being from Britain it’s just a dream come true and I am just really, really happy to be part of it.”

After losing the second set, Tarvet was afforded a comfort break, and it appeared to pay dividends. He stormed into a 4-0 lead in the third set when there was a rain delay, but maintained his focus upon his return to the court.

The American-born star, who is currently training in the US, credited his current regime for his form. He added: “Definitely I tried to reserve energy going into the fourth set, I was saying to my coach last night that I ate so many carbs, trying to get myself as prepared as possible, do the right things, eat the right things.

“The rain delay made it easier for sure but I think I am ready to go best-of-five, I train hard at the University of San Diego where I am at, we put in a lot of hard hours but it is clearly paying off. It’s really nice that all of this is coming together and I played my best tennis when it matters most.”

Tarvet will learn his first-round opponent on Friday, when the main draw takes place.

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