Lauren Ceballos / Sports editor

USD tennis player Oliver Tarvet climbed the ranks to third in the nation according to ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) rankings.

Tarvet began playing tennis, among other sports, at a young age. His parents promoted the idea to stay fit and healthy, but it has grown to be so much more to him. Between cricket, soccer and tennis, Tarvet realized that tennis stood out to him the most and that he had a talent for it.

“I kind of just enjoyed tennis the most, I was probably the best at it. I was a little selfish, so I preferred individual sports. I didn’t like relying on others… I just enjoyed it… At that age, I didn’t really think about where it would take me. I was just enjoying the sport and everything that came along with it,” Tarvet said.

Tarvet was born and raised in England and found his way to the states when starting his collegiate career at USD. He is currently a sophomore and after living in the U.S. for a year and a half, he found the transition to be surprisingly smooth. From friendly people, to their fascination with him being from Britain and the similarities between the U.S. and his home, Tarvet acclimated quickly.

“I didn’t find it too different. I found that actually people were very welcoming and very friendly relative to England. I think people are a bit less friendly, a little more blunt [there]. And people here, they approach you a lot more often, which doesn’t happen in England, and obviously being from Britain, people are kind of intrigued by you,” Tarvet explained.

Tarvet is one of two kids. He has a sister who he claims is the brains, and he is the brawn, in other words: the athlete. When deciding where to go to college, Tarvet found USD to be a balance between the two. He is currently studying Communication, but shared that if he wasn’t playing tennis and had more time, there is a possibility that he would have pursued being a doctor and earning a degree in biology, or that he might have pursued environmental science. However, Tarvet realized at a young age that tennis was not just a sport, it gave him a purpose and he was ready to dedicate himself to it.

Around the age of 12, Tarvet decided to stop playing tennis because he was at a new school and wanted to be more involved with friends and other activities.

“I stopped for maybe a couple of weeks or so, but I realized that my life kind of didn’t have as much purpose, and I wasn’t getting the same fulfillment even at 12 or 13,” Tarvet said.

Deciding to play and listen to his heart, Tarvet found himself at USD, where he has earned recognition as 2023 ITA Southwest Region Rookie of the Year, 2023 WCC Freshman of the Year, 2023 All-WCC First Team (Singles), 2023 All-WCC Honorable Mention (Doubles with Stian Klaassen) and WCC Singles Player of the Week among other awards at the school and prior to USD. 

One of the most notable accolades for Tarvet is his career high as No. 3 in the nation for singles among the ITA rankings, as of Feb. 8, 2024. “It’s obviously good to be recognized nationally. I always thought I was pretty good at tennis, and that was kind of confirming that I am one of the best players in college tennis. As much as I could be selfish and self-centered, I think it’s mainly down to my coaches and my team supporting me.”

 Tarvet looked at the number and realized that it’s just that. 

“It’s nice to be recognized, but as my coach says, it’s just a fancy number. Just because you’re three in the country doesn’t guarantee anything beyond… If anything, it makes people have a little bit more of a target on your back just because they want to beat you and they’ll get a lot of recognition for beating you,” Tarvet shared. 

Tarvet uses this as ammunition to take on his opponents. 

“I would say it almost motivates me, because I don’t want to give people the satisfaction of beating me. It’s nice to be recognized. It’s nice that people are congratulating me, but at the same time, it doesn’t really matter. Just because you have a ranking, it doesn’t give you an advantage in life. It doesn’t really change anything from what you do on a daily basis,” he expanded.

Tarvet explains that the way he has achieved his goals is through something a former teammate taught him.

“It’s just consistency. We do the same drills day in and day out. It’s just about making sure that you’re having a good day every single day and that you are mentally engaged. You’re not slacking, you’re giving everything 100% and I think once you can do it on a day-to-day basis and have the consistency of just stacking good days on top of good days, you’re gonna have success,” Tarvet said.

Tarvet holds a humble stance toward his accomplishments and can be characterized as craving the competition that he is able to partake in on the court, bringing an energy and passion to the team and the matches that he plays.

“I’m a pretty competitive person, it’s what I’m known for amongst the team, being more vocal, a little bit louder. I enjoy the competitive element a bit and fighting for the same goal.”

With passion and excitement for the game, Tarvet has been able to not only learn the rules and the swing, but also an important life lesson.

“I think it just [reinforces] to me that in life if you do want something, it’s not going to come easily, and you’ve got to work hard for it because there are just a thousand other people that are trying to achieve the same thing as you… Not just for tennis, but in every field of life, every profession of life, life’s competitive and in order to achieve what you want to achieve, you have to outwork and outcompete people… you need to work hard in life otherwise you won’t get anywhere and others will.”

Oliver Tarvet found his purpose through tennis, and has been able to grow with it. His accomplishments are received with humility and his goal is to continue to work toward his goal of playing professional tennis with the help of his family, coaches, and teammates along the way.

Tarvet was ranked No.8 on Nov. 15 2023 and worked up to No.3.
Photo courtesy of @usd_tennis/Instagram