The first Slovenian tennis club was established in Celje in 1899. Unfortunately, its history has not yet been fully explored, but it is known that the club had a significant number of members, including a relatively strong representation of women. During World War I, club activities ceased and were only revived in 1927.
Before World War II, three tennis courts in Celje's city park were owned by the Slovenian sports club SK Celje. The section president was Stefan Borlak, and Miran Toplak was its best player and coach. Among female players, Elza Sernec Mair stood out, while Vlasta Sernec, Beba Bruger Lah, and others played at the Yugoslav level.
During the war, from 1941 to 1945, the Slovenian courts in the city park were abandoned. In 1947 and the first half of 1948, tennis almost ceased altogether due to the unavailability of stringing materials for rackets and tennis balls. In autumn 1948, Ivo Marin from Maribor brought some experience and enthusiasm for tennis to Celje.
On these courts, players like Bruno Stiglić, Jure Šarlah, and several high school students tried to develop their game. In 1963, a young, enthusiastic physical education teacher, Metod Klemenc, then the technical secretary of the Regional Association for Physical Culture, breathed new life into tennis. He gathered several tennis enthusiasts (such as brothers Dušan and Božo Godnik, Pavle Jagrič, Jure Šarlah, brothers Igor and Rudi Šimončič, Goran Kajina, Tomaž Stolfa, Mladen Jazbec, Silvin Grej, and others) who, through voluntary work, personal funds, and assistance from the Municipality for Physical Culture, built and temporarily arranged a tennis facility in the park near the "Stigar Villa" on Ljubljanska Street.
The founding assembly of the new tennis club, prepared by Metod Klemenc, Branko Mlac, Jure Drugovič, and Dušan Godnik, was held on March 25, 1963, at the premises of the Regional Association for Physical Culture in Celje. Among other initiatives, they decided to introduce regular training sessions for juniors and youth, led by the qualified coach Metod Klemenc.
The new tennis courts were inaugurated on July 20, 1963, with an exhibition tournament featuring prominent players from TK Branik Maribor. The first tennis school was launched during this period. At the time, the club was chaired by Branko Mlac, with Jure Šarlah as vice president, Ivan Marinc as secretary, and Metod Klemenc serving as technical manager and coach.
In September of the same year, the club hosted an exhibition match featuring Romanian tennis representatives Ilie Năstase and Gheorghe Mormureanu, who displayed the beauty of tennis and thrilled the Celje audience. Following these beginnings, Celje players registered with the Tennis Association of Slovenia and began competing in tournaments across Slovenia, marking the rebirth of tennis in the city along the Savinja River.
At the general assembly on November 23, 1964, Dr. Ivan Kopec was elected club president, with Metod Klemenc continuing as technical manager and coach. Active competitors participated in the republic league and several tournaments that year. During this time, preparations for the construction of tennis courts in the city park were underway. Once the artificial skating rink was completed, TK became an independent tennis section within HDK Celje.
In the period between 1968 and 1970, the tennis section advanced significantly with the construction of three tennis courts in the city park, providing better opportunities for rapid development. The senior team performed successfully in the regional league, particularly in the last year, losing only one match to TK Olimpija from Ljubljana.
Following the departure of Metod Klemenc, Dušan Godnik took over the presidency and also worked with the youngest promising players, while introductory courses were led by Rudi Šimončič and Jože Švegl. Celje competitors participated in the Slovenia Cup for men's and women's teams, the regional championship for juniors—where Blanka Godnik secured 4th place—and other tournaments. At that time, the top players included Blanka Godnik, among juniors Irena Sekirnik, among junior boys Miran Uršič, among senior women Irena Sekirnik, among senior men Mladen Jazbec, and among senior veterans Milan Božič.
In the 1973 season, regular training sessions began at the AD Kladivar hall, and players from Celje ranked among the nation's best: Aleš Pipan, Iztok Leskovar, Jure Stojan, Niko Lovrenčič, Blanka Godnik, and Irena Sekirnik. The younger players participated in the Republic Championship, where Blanka Godnik and Aleš Pipan claimed the top positions. A significant success for junior tennis came at the National Championship in Split, where Blanka Godnik achieved second place in singles and first place in doubles.
The tennis section also supported recreational players by organizing courses, which contributed to a significant rise in recreational tennis.
Celje tennis entered quieter years while a roof was being built over the artificial skating rink. From 1977 to 1980, Tomaž Stolfa presided over the tennis section, and a new generation of competitive players emerged from the tennis school, including Rok Vengust, Rok Veber, Boštjan Mlinaric, Boštjan Dimitrijevic, Jaka Jagrič, and Urška Travner. These players excelled in junior and later youth categories, placing themselves at the top of Slovenian tennis. Urška Travner particularly stood out, earning a spot on the Slovenian national team. Coaches Marjan Furlan, Dušan Godnik, and Rudi Šimončič played crucial roles during this time, later joined by Vlado Travner.
After 1980, a third generation of players emerged from the junior tennis school, including Miha Furlan, Andrej Travner, Goran Brajkovič, Brina Godnik, and Vaska Sazonov. Among them, Andrej Travner stood out, ranking among Slovenia’s best in the junior category.
Between 1987 and 1990, Zlatarna Celje took over sponsorship of the tennis section, which was renamed TK Zlatarna Celje. Uroš Goričan became the club president, and the conditions for tennis development in Celje improved with the construction of five clay courts and an indoor tennis hall at Golovec. TK hired professional coach Tomaž Volk, nurturing a fourth generation of junior players, including Gregor Čižej, Boštjan Doberšek, Iztok Jurenc, Ana Brajkovič, Tjaša Jezernik, Andrej Voh, Marko Rumpf, Igor Virant, Gregor Bobovnik, and Katja Šimončič.
The club achieved significant success during this period. In 1989, Tjaša Jezernik became the Republic Junior Champion, and she and Ana Brajkovič won the Republic doubles championship. In 1990, Miha Furlan secured the Republic Junior Champion title, while other competitors also reached top positions in Slovenian tennis. The club’s senior team competed for entry into the second federal league.
From 2015 onward, TK Celje cultivated a new generation of players born between 1999 and 2004. Led by head coach Miha Furlan, with assistance from Luka Furlan, the club developed young talent.
Many gifted players excelled during this period, including Jan Dimitrijevič, Lun Obrul, Luka Vengust, Nikola Perić, Nik Dimitrijevič, and others. Jan and Lun won national championships in the U12 and U14 categories in singles, while Nikola Perić claimed the U12 national doubles title. The boys' team also achieved a remarkable second place in Slovenia's top league in the U12 category.
In 2022, the coaching staff changed, with Nik Dimitrijevič becoming the head coach and teaming up with Boštjan Doberšek to lead the coaching team. In 2024, Jan Dimitrijevič joined the team. Under this new coaching lineup, competitive tennis regained prominence at the club.
Sources: 125 let športa v Celju 1890 - 2015 & http://www.tenisportal.si/vec-o-tenisu/zgodovina-tenisa
