100 Years of the Vítkovice Tennis Club
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POSITIV Ridera Sport
The 1970s and 1980s: Sporng Success, Community Spirit and the
Construcon of the Indoor Hall
The TJ VŽKG team achieved significant victories during
this era – for example, a 13–4 win over Baník Ostrava
secured their promotion to the Second League. A key
figure was Ing. Švendová, who not only delivered
the expected wins but also surprised everyone
by defeating a much stronger opponent. At the time,
the club enjoyed a strong membership base and an
increasingly competitive standard of play.
One of the club’s great strengths was its strong
community and social spirit. Regular trips took place
– including to Hungary (Red Hazel) – and friendships
flourished between clubs. The club served as a natural
hub of leisure, where both children and adults spent
a considerable part of their day and built lasting
memories.
The club continued to develop. In the 1980s, the first
permanent indoor tennis hall in the region was built
through volunteer work, with active involvement
from club members and the parents of young players.
It was an exceptional facility – part of a broader sports
complex – offering professional conditions for both
training and competition. To this day, it remains unique
thanks to its above-standard ceiling height and a special
shock-absorbing surface laid on a wooden frame, which
provides exceptional joint protection and ranks among
the very best in the Czech Republic.During this period,
there was a change in court management – after Jaroslav
Fabián, maintenance was taken over by Jan Krpela.
The year 1985 was particularly special – the Vítkovice
tennis club celebrated its 60th anniversary and hosted
the Veterans Grand Prix, which welcomed 171 players
from across the country. The tournament became one
of the most highly rated events of the season.
At that time, the Vítkovice club was considered
the second-largest in Ostrava, after TJ NHKG (Nová
Huť Klementa Gottwalda), and held a stable position
in the second national tennis league. It regularly hosted
a number of tournaments – some of which continue
to be successfully held to this day.
This era also saw the rise of notable players: Pavel
Moravec, Radovan Světlík – national doubles champion
and ATP circuit player – and Pavel Šnobel, four-
time Czech singles champion and ATP tournament
participant.
The 1990s: Tennis for the Public and Unregistered Players
Today: A Modern Sports Centre of European Standards
After 1989, political change brought a shift in the
club’s character as well. Openness and support for
amateur sport came to the forefront. A symbol of this
new era was the Kubíček Memorial – a tournament for
unregistered players, where even former ice hockey
players like Prorok and Metelka made their mark.
The club naturally grew closer to the wider public
and strengthened its role as a community hub.
The Vítkovice club also made an impact on the
professional scene – in 1996, it earned a return
to the First League and between 1994 and 1998,
it co-organised the prestigious ATP Tour event, the IPB
Czech Indoor Cup. Thanks to this tournament, tennis
legends such as Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Goran
Ivanišević and Petr Korda came to Ostrava.
Since 2016, the Vítkovice Tennis Club has been known
as SK Vítkovice 1926 – Ridera, z. s. But more than
a record of results, it is above all a story of people who
have dedicated their time, energy and passion to it.
Its home today is the modern Ridera Sport complex
– a centre that combines top-level sporting conditions
with a strong sense of community. Since 2020,
it has served as a training base not only for local
talents but also for global stars who found a home
in Ostrava during the WTA J&T Banka Ostrava Open.
It is no coincidence that players such as Iga Świątek,
Karolína Plíšková, Victoria Azarenka, Aryna Sabalenka,
Cori Gauff and Karolína Muchová have all trained here.
The complex has gradually grown into a multifunctional
space, now offering tennis and badminton leagues,
a fitness centre, modern wellness facilities, a swimming
pool, an indoor golf zone, the Sport Jump Arena
trampoline hall, and infrastructure for day camps,
training sessions and social events. The club remains
committed to its tradition of developing young athletes
– through the TSM and NTA programmes, it provides
a path that nurtures both sporting performance
and personal growth.
It thus offers not only excellent facilities, but also
a proven route for rising talents. And it is this
combination of tradition, dedication and sporting
passion that stands as its greatest achievement.