Brit tennis prodigy qualifies for Wimbledon but is BANNED from claiming £66k prize money

A young up and coming British tennis talent will not bank £66,000 in prize money despite qualifying for the first round of Wimbledon - because of his status as a student-athlete in the US.

Oliver Tarvet, 21, is the current world No. 719 and now also the 23rd Brit to qualify for the main draw at Wimbledon after stunning Alexander Blockx - who is ranked 144 in the world - 6-3 3-6 6-2 6-1 in the final qualifying round at the All England Club.

Tarvet's triumph should have landed him a bumper £66,000 payday as well as a dream ticket to Wimbledon, which starts on Monday.

But as Tarvet studies at the University of San Diego in the United States, he is only able to claim £7,300 worth of prize money each year, which is used to pay entrance fees and expenses.

After his big win, Tarvet joked: "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.

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"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 more than earned his ticket to the main draw of Wimbledon, beating other players from the top 250 in Terence Atmane and Alexis Galarneau en route to his winner-takes-all showdown with Blockx.

"There's a lot of emotions, but the main one is just happiness," he added. "Ever since I was a little kid, it's [reaching Wimbledon] been my dream."

Tarvet will join a host of other Brits in the tournament, which starts on Monday, including the men's No.1, Jack Draper, and Emma Raducanu, the British women's No.1.

Other players who are set to participate at the All England Club include Dan Evans - who will meet fellow Brit Jay Clarke in the first round - Cameron Norrie, Katie Boulter, Harriet Dart and Sonay Kartal.

Raducanu will get her tournament underway in another all-British clash against Mimi Xu, the world No. 302, while Draper will face Argentina's Sebastian Baez.