After being blown away by the world No 2 in the first set, the British qualifier competed gamely in a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 defeat and an advert for a US university education

Having wound himself up for this duel with a declaration that he could beat “anybody”, Oliver Tarvet played as if he believed it, treating Carlos Alcaraz almost as just another one of his hitting partners at the University of San Diego.

By Toby Davis LONDON (Reuters) -As his Wimbledon journey was brought to a close by holder Carlos Alcaraz, Ollie Tarvet discovered the hard way that the difference between the very best and the rest is frequently in the astonishing mental strength of the elite.