More eyes than usual were on court four on the first day of Wimbledon, where the unlikeliest of British heroes, Oliver Tarvet, the world No 733, kicked off his SW19 journey with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory against Leandro Riedi, a Swiss qualifier ranked previously as high as 117.
As the lowest-ranked player in the Wimbledon draw this year, Tarvet’s presence alone was a story. The 21-year-old student at the University of San Diego made history by becoming the first British man in eight years to navigate the perilous qualifying rounds and made headlines because of an American college rule for student athletes.
