100 Years of the Vítkovice Tennis Club
56 ǀ POSITIV Ridera Sport
The Golden Twenes: From the First Serve to an Organised Club
The 1930s to 1950s: Compeve Success, Expansion and War
The 1950s and 1960s: Hard Work, Restoraon and Tennis for All
The history of tennis in Vítkovice began in the early
1920s. According to eyewitness accounts, the first court
and a simple practice wall were likely set up as early
as 1922 in the city park. In the summer, the space served
as tennis courts; in winter, it turned into an ice rink.
At first, local sports enthusiasts maintained the court
themselves. As early as 1925, the Vítkovice team
played its first interclub match in Místek, which marked
the beginning of regular competitive play. This was soon
followed by the founding of the SSK Vítkovice tennis
division, spearheaded by sportsman Dr Karel Toman.
By the end of that same year, Vítkovice hosted the first
large-scale tournament in the Ostrava region, drawing
players from across the area. Over time, it became
a well-established annual event, eventually evolving
into what was once the district championship and is
now the regional singles championship.
This period marked significant growth for the club.
A key figure was engineer Tyc, who from 1927 onwards
organised numerous interclub matches and played
an important role in the establishment of the
Moravian-Silesian Lawn Tennis Association in 1930. This
laid the foundation for structured competitive tennis
in the Moravian region. Vítkovice soon became one
of the top teams in the association, with the highlight
of the pre-war era being their district championship
title in 1937. However, the outbreak of the Second
World War brought a sharp decline – courts were
damaged or requisitioned, and activities were heavily
curtailed.
In 1946, the tennis division relocated to the stadium
that had been used during the war by the German
sports club DSV Witkowitz – the site of today’s Ridera
Sport complex. At that time, the stadium was known
as TJ VŽKG (Sports Association of the Vítkovice
Ironworks – Klement Gottwald). The club became
part of the VŽKG enterprise and took on the name SK
VŽKG – the Sports Club of the Vítkovice Ironworks
Klement Gottwald.
Thanks to the initiative of its members and voluntary
work brigades led by Rudolf Klepáč and caretaker Jan
Duza, four new youth courts were built in 1949. Tennis
players put in over 2,200 hours of work – exceeding
their commitment to the All-Sokol Rally by 29%.
The club even planned five additional courts for junior
players. Sporting activity resumed in full, and tennis
became a central part of broader community life.
In the 1960s, every member and guest was expected
to contribute at least 10 hours a year preparing
the courts in spring. This included participation
in the “Action for Improvement” initiative. Volunteers
built a rebound wall, upgraded the main court
and developed new playing fields. The club evolved
into a place where sport met civic spirit.
The year was 1922 when the rst tennis court was built in Vítkovice – a modest beginning that
laid the foundaon for organised sporng life in this part of Ostrava. Just ve years later, in 1927,
the tennis club was ocially established under the banner of SSK Vítkovice (Sportovní a sokolský
klub Vítkovice – the Sports and Sokol Club Vítkovice). Enthusiasts at that me began to develop
facilies and a community that would endure even the most dicult of mes.
Over the course of a century, the club has undergone an incredible transformaon – surviving
wars, polical regime changes, and shis in both infrastructure and name. Yet it has always retained
its most valuable assets: a passion for sport, strong human bonds, and the ability to adapt.
100 Years of the Vítkovice Tennis Club