The curious reason why Tarvet, Alcaraz’s next opponent, can’t win more than $10,000

Carlos Alcaraz’s next opponent at Wimbledon, Britain’s Oliver Tarvet, has quickly become one of the tournament’s most unexpected storylines—not just for his performance, but for what’s at stake financially.

Shock Oliver Tarvet win sets up Carlos Alcaraz clash

Tarvet, a 21-year-old ranked No. 733 in the world, stunned fans with a straight-sets win (6-4, 6-4, 6-4) over Switzerland’s Leandro Riedi in the first round of the Wimbledon main draw. That victory set up a high-profile second-round clash with Alcaraz on Wednesday (approx. 10:30 a.m. ET, available via streaming on ESPN platforms).

But while the win secured him a paycheck of roughly $136,000 (£99,000), there’s a catch: he might not be allowed to keep most of it.

The reason Tarvet can’t keep Wimbledon prize money

That’s because Tarvet competes in the NCAA, and under NCAA rules, student-athletes are capped at $10,000 in prize money from outside competition if they want to maintain their amateur eligibility.

“One of my main goals is to return to college tennis in January and keep my NCAA eligibility,” Tarvet explained. “If we can’t sort it out financially, I hope I can at least count the prize money as expenses. I’ll do everything I can to make that work—maybe even hire someone to help with the accounting and make sure the NCAA is satisfied. This is really important to me.”

Tarvet faces a balancing act. To stay eligible, he’ll need to demonstrate at year’s end that his net earnings—after expenses—don’t exceed $10,000. And that won’t be easy in a sport like tennis, where travel, coaching, and equipment costs quickly add up.

The loophole that might allow young Brit to claim Grand Slam earnings

“I have to prove in December that my prize money minus expenses is under $10,000,” he said. “I think the prize was about £99,000 or £100,000 (circa $135,700 to $137,009) before taxes. I need to show maybe £60,000 or £70,000 (approximately $82,250 to $95,950) in expenses. Tennis is expensive, so hopefully I can make it work—maybe pay my coaches a bit more, fly business class once or twice. I need to stay grounded, of course. But yes, I’ve got to make the numbers fit if I want to keep playing in the NCAA.”

Despite the financial tightrope, Tarvet isn’t letting it distract from his dream run at Wimbledon. And he’s embracing the chance to go toe-to-toe with Alcaraz, the defending champion and one of the biggest stars in the sport.

Tarvet: “I can beat Alcaraz”

“I came here with no expectations,” he said. “I’m calm, and I truly believe I can beat anyone—Alcaraz included. He’s done incredible things in tennis, and it’s impossible not to respect him. But I have to treat it like just another match. I’ve got to focus on my own game and not let the moment overwhelm me. Playing on one of the big courts against Alcaraz is going to be special—I just need to go out there and play my brand of tennis.”

Alcaraz praise for “amazing” Tarvet

After surviving a five-set battle with Fabio Fognini in his own first-round match, Carlos Alcaraz was asked about his next opponent. And while Tarvet might not be a household name, Alcaraz had nothing but praise for the young Brit.

“I heard about him when he qualified for the main draw,” Alcaraz said. “He’s ranked in the 700s and he’s here playing Wimbledon’s main event. He won his first match—it’s amazing. If he’s here, it’s because he earned it. I saw a little of his match because he was playing before me. He plays really well on grass, so I’ve got to be ready. I’ll try to improve on the things that didn’t work today and hopefully put on a better performance. But like I said, if he’s in the second round, he deserves it—and I’ll need to bring my best tennis.”

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