Brit world No719 bizarrely shouts ‘GARETH’ as he qualifies for Wimbledon but is BANNED from claiming £66,000 prize money

OLIVER TARVET has been banned from claiming his full prize money after qualifying for Wimbledon despite being ranked world No. 719.

The British underdog caused a huge upset when he trumped world No 144 Alexander Blockx 6-3 3-6 6-2 6-1 in the final qualifying round.

Tarvet, 21, completed the astonishing victory even though it was his first best-of-five sets match.

The British No.33 bizarrely kept shouting out the Christian name ‘Gareth’, which he said was in honour of a football player, possibly someone like Bale or Southgate.

Tarvet, who was given a qualifiers’ wildcard, said: “It’s based on a soccer player. It is relating to his surname.

“I am not allowed to tell. If you put your mind to it, you can work it out…”

He has become the 23rd British player to qualify for the tournament in the singles draw.

The tennis ace should have been in line for an eye-watering £66,000 in prize money for reaching Wimbledon’s first round.

However, he will miss out on the majority of the cash due to his status as a student-athlete in the US.

Tarvet studies at the University of San Diego in the US and has one more year to go before graduating.

But due to this, he is only allowed to claim £7,300 every year from prize money.

That money is used to pay for entrance fees and other expenses.

Tarvet has joked that he will be spending what he is able to pocket on his travel to SW19.

He said: “It’s a little bit awkward because I’ve got to find a lot of expenses and I really want to come back to the University of San Diego to complete my fourth year.

“What they’ve done for me is just incredible and I’m so grateful. I want to spend my fourth year there and really leave my mark on US history.

“I can claim up to $10,000, so I might be flying my coach on a private jet at home.”

Tarvet has enjoyed an impressive run to reach Wimbledon, beating top-250 players Terence Atmane and Alexis Galarneau in qualifying rounds.

He added: “There’s a lot of emotions, but the main one is just happiness.

“Ever since I was a little kid, it’s been my dream.”

It could become even more painful for Tarvet if he were to pull off a miracle and win the tournament, with £3million on offer to the champion.

Tarvet is not the only player to have missed out on a pay cheque.

In 2024, Australian star Maya Joint had to give up £145,000 in prize money.

She reached the US Open second round while playing as an amateur studying at the University of Texas.