SALZBURG, July 12, 2024

Petr Nouza and Patrik Rikl are one of the most successful teams on the ATP Challenger Tour this season. The two Czechs began the year teaming up together for the first time and it has worked out in an impressive way. Nouza and Rikl captured their maiden team title in Nottingham in early February followed by another triumph on the Canary Islands at the Tenerife Challenger 2 only two weeks later.

The two 25-year-old players from Prague would like to stick together as a team for the rest of the season, trying to climb up the rankings together. Rikl is currently sitting on a career-high World No. 137. Nouza, who captured six ATP Challenger titles last year with different partners and cracked the Top 100 for the first time in September 2023, is ranked World No. 107.

The duo is competing in Austria this week. They have reached the semi-finals of the Sparkasse Salzburg Open following a three-set win over the German tandem of Jakob Schnaitter and Mark Wallner. We met Nouza and Rikl for an interview after their quarterfinal match on Thursday.

Tennis TourTalk: Congratulations. Big win out there, knocking out the No. 4 seeds. What was the key to success today?

Petr Nouza: It was a very tight match, as most of the doubles matches are at this level. It was very tough. They served and played well. We didn’t get many looks on their serves. There weren’t any break points in the second set but my partner returned well in the match tie-break. I tried to help him and it was enough in end.

You are enjoying a good run of form this season. What’s the secret of your success?

Patrik Rikl: I don’t know about the secret of winning. The most important thing is that we are friends, not only on the court but also off the court. That’s important in doubles. We play the same tournaments, sleeping in the same the hotel. So you need to be friends that it works out. 

It’s not easy to find a partner, who is able to compete in the same tournaments. 

Nouza: Yes, that’s true. I am really happy to play with Patrik. As he said, we have a good chemistry. We match our games well. We both serve pretty big. There is still have a lot of room to improve but we work on it every day to get better and better. 

Great doubles action on Court 1 at the Salzburg Open with two teams enjoying a fine run of form on the Challenger Tour this season: Schnaitter/Wallner 🇩🇪 Vs Nouza/ Rikl 🇨🇿 pic.twitter.com/eI0BFYHshC

— Florian Heer (@Florian_Heer) July 11, 2024

You are both still pretty young in terms of a doubles team. What was the reason to focus on doubles and what do you like about this game?

Rikl: We both were trying to focus on singles but we both struggled with injuries. So we decided to play doubles. 

Nouza: It’s also the adrenaline. Doubles matches are often very tight. The rallies can be very exciting. It’s a fast, a different game from singles. It’s nice to play and also hopefully nice to watch. 

With what kind of injuries did you have to deal?

Nouza: Probably all part through the body but we both struggled with our wrists. I also had problems with my hip. 

Rikl: I had to undergo two knee surgeries. 

Nouza: Playing doubles is just easier with the body. 

What are your goals?

Nouza: We hope to stick together as a team. I started playing doubles a bit earlier than Patrik, competing for almost three years now. The first year I was looking for someone to play in the long term. Now, I am happy, as we have a good partnership and hopefully we can grow up together to enter the Grand Slams. This is the ultimate goal. Hopefully we can manage to break through. 

When you are on the tour. How do you spend your time off the court?

Rikl: Unfortunately, there is often not much time. Our last match took place late in the afternoon, so we had to wait the whole day. It’s tough to go somewhere enjoying the time not only on the site here. 

Nouza: We usually spend some time together but we also have our time for our own. The scenery here in Salzburg is very nice and I hope that we will still have the chance to have a look around. 

Do you have any hobbies and do you follow the European Football Championships?

Nouza: Yes, of course. We both follow a lot of sports. Maybe me about more, as Patrik also likes to play some video games (laughs). I support Sparta Prague and Fc Chelsea. 

Rikl: I like Sparta and Real Madrid.

You both play in the Tennis Channel Bundesliga but for different teams. What makes this competition so special for you?

Nouza: Tennis is an individual sport. It’s really nice to have a team competition and I always enjoy this part of the season when we have a chance to play in Germany. I also play some matches in Italy but the Bundesliga is the most prestigious league. It’s my first year in the first division at Rosenheim and we played our first match last Sunday. It was a really nice atmosphere and I hope to play a couple more matches this season. We have a really cool group of guys in the team. The financial benefit is a nice bonus but first of all it is a really enjoyable time for us.

Rikl: I play in Augsburg and maybe we will face each other (laughs). 

What can we still expect from you here at the Salzburg Open?

Nouza: Of course, we will try to win all of our matches but it’s tough. Let’s see how it goes.

Thank you and all the best.

Interview: Florian Heer