18 Jul 2025
Five years before he wowed audiences at this year’s Wimbledon Championships, St Albans’ tennis star Oliver Tarvet was already showing his flair for the game at The Marlborough Science Academy.
This summer, the 21-year-old became the first British man since 2017 to come through the qualifying rounds at Wimbledon and earn a place in the tournament’s main draw, despite being ranked just 719 in the world.
Unfortunately Oliver was knocked out in his second round match against Carlos Alcarez, who went all the way to the finals, but to reach that far was no small feat.
Oliver attended TMSA from 2015-2020, where his PE teacher was Chris Packard, who recalled his pupil’s obvious potential.
“He loved his sports lessons – he was an absolute natural. He stands out through my entire teaching career so far as one of – if not – the most talented sports people I’ve worked with.”
He said there were signs of his potential to be an outstanding tennis player from the very beginning.
“You could see the first time he had a racket in hand that he wasn’t just quite good but exceptional. We have always had (tennis) club players come to the school but he was well above this. As well as having great technical and physical ability he had a strong desire to win and was highly competitive in everything he participated in.”
Chris and his colleagues were instrumental in nurturing Oliver’s talents as a young player: “Like all PE teachers we gave encouragement when things went well or there was a setback.
“We made sure that he always had respect for others on the sports pitch/court, and worked with his parents to make sure he could have every opportunity to get as far as possible in tennis.”
At a local level Oliver was always playing and training, but was not always able to represent Marlborough.
“We didn’t often manage to get him in the school teams due to his other commitments but when he did he was always levels above the opposition which gave his teammates a huge buzz. He was regularly away playing and training all over the country and abroad.”
Away from the tennis court, Chris described him as a “terrific lad” who loved everything and anything sports-related, but also a dedicated and popular student.
“He was attentive to his studies and worked hard in the classroom. He enjoyed a joke and some fun when the time was right and made some good friends along the way.”
Ollie left Marlborough in Year 11 during the Covid pandemic and his teachers initially lost touch with him, but then began tracking his progress in collegiate tennis at the University of San Diego.
“We watched him play in the junior Wimbledon competition a couple of years ago and have been keeping tabs on his progress the whole time.
“Watching him play in [this year’s] qualifying tournament was nerve-wracking as we were desperate for him to qualify, so, to actually get through qualifying and win the first round was incredible and the interest amongst the students has snowballed since!”
Unfortunately Chris missed out on catching up with his former pupil at the recent M Fest, where Oliver made a surprise appearance.
“I wasn’t there due to a prior commitment and I was devastated to miss out on seeing him. There are plans to see him in the future and celebrate his current success as well as hear about his plans for the future. He has become a big role model for our students and proven that it’s possible to do anything if you are willing to work hard enough to achieve it.”
Oliver will return to San Diego to finish his studies after the summer, and Chris is hopeful for his future: “I’m sure he will win as much as he can on the college circuit before heading into the pro ranks. He really does deserve all the accolades that are coming his way.”
