Wimbledon star shouts 'Gareth' during matches but refuses to explain the secret

World No.719 Oliver Tarvet wants his "annoying" shouts of "Gareth" to help set up a glamorous second-round clash with Real Madrid fan Carlos Alcaraz. The British No.33 from St Albans won through qualifying with the help of the "inside joke" about a "soccer player" with his fellow students at the University of San Diego, repeatedly shouting the name Gareth throughout matches.

Tarvet, 21, claimed: "I am not allowed to tell. It is a secret of ours." Asked if it refers to Gareth Bale or Gareth Southgate, he said: "I think I gave a little bit too much information, but, yeah, it's one of those two guys. You're cracking the code soon. But you're gonna have to wonder. I'm sorry.

"My team-mates were already annoyed at me for how much information I gave out. It's just the inside joke to keep guys accountable of their decision-making. That's all I'm gonna say."

Tarvet added: "It's just who I am. It's what gives me success, being a little more energetic, a little bit more fiery than the most players. And as much as I get that some people might find that a little bit annoying, it's what brings me success.

"And I'm not gonna change who I am and what brings me success. So, as much as I will try and tone it down a bit, I find it pretty funny out there. My team-mates were laughing, and they were blowing up our group chat because I was saying it in Wimbledon last round of qualifications. I tried to make it a little bit more fun, a little more energetic out there."

Tarvet, who plans to return to California for his fourth and final year, would be entitled to at least £66,000 as a first round loser but US college rules restrict his earning to $10,000 (£7,289) after expenses.

"Even if I lose first round, second round, whatever it is, I have to find x amount of expenses so that I'm $10,000 like under $10,000 in profit," he explained. "So flights are an expense. The money is really important for me, because I said I really want to go back to the stage for my fourth year, so I'm going to make sure that I'm under $10,000 of profit."

In the first round on Monday, Tarvet will face Swiss Leandro Riedi with the probable prize facing defending champion Alcaraz. "Obviously it's cool but I'm not gonna think too much about it at the end of the day," said Tarvet.

"Like everyone this level is just really, really good. If I'm not focused on Monday, and don't put in a good performance, I'm just not going to win. If I win on Monday, then we can focus on that. I'm keeping that (Alcaraz) in the far side of my brain."

Told that Real Madrid fan Alcaraz would have shouted "Gareth" a few times, Tarvet laughed: "Gareth is going viral!"

To be the first to receive the latest Wimbledon news, join our WhatsApp community or Wimbledon newsletter