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British world No719 qualifies for Wimbledon but is BANNED from claiming £66,000 prize money
It is not the first time a player has missed out on prize money
PURSE STRUNG British world No719 qualifies for Wimbledon but is BANNED from claiming £66,000 prize money
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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.
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Oliver Tarvet has qualified for Wimbledon
Credit: Getty
Tarvet, 21, completed the astonishing victory even though it was his first best-of-five sets match.
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.
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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.
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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.
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"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 come up against this issue in tennis.
In 2024, Australian star Maya Joint had to give up £145,000 in prize money.
This was when she had reached the US Open second round while as an amateur studying at the University of Texas.
