Men's Tennis
de Villiers, Rikus
Rikus de Villiers
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
Rikus de Villiers embarks on his 13th season on the UCLA menโs tennis coaching staff, and sixth as associate head coach, in 2025-26. He served in the role of volunteer assistant coach for five of the six seasons prior to his promotion by head coach Billy Martin in June 2018.
A native of Durban, South Africa, de Villiers came to UCLA in the fall of 2012 and immediately aided the Bruins in their run to the final round of the NCAA Championships the following spring. Over the course of his first five seasons on staff, UCLA registered an overall record of 124-25 (.832) and dropped just three regular-season Pac-12 matches (32-3). The 2014, 2016 and 2018 Bruins also secured Pac-12 tournament titles during de Villiers' time as a volunteer. He coached American Ryan Harrison on the ATP World Tour during his time away from the program in 2015-16.
UCLA had a memorable first season as a member of the Big Ten Conference, winning 17 of its final 20 matches in 2024-25. The Bruins seized the Big Ten Conference Tournament title, beating host and top-seeded Ohio State in a 4-3 thriller that snapped the Buckeyesโ 76-match home winning streak. Unseeded UCLA ultimately reached the NCAA Championships quarterfinal round, beating crosstown rival USC at Los Angeles Tennis Center (LATC) to get there.
In the 2019 dual-match season, de Villiers helped the program to its fourth regular-season Pac-12 title in a row. UCLA went 8-0 in conference play, stretching its winning streak in league regular-season matches to 29. The Bruins would go on to reach the third round of the NCAA tournament. There was also individual success, as the duo of Maxime Cressy and Keegan Smith posted a 21-0 record and claimed the 14th NCAA doubles championship in program history.
In addition to Cressy and Smith, Marcos Giron (2014) and the combination of Martin Redlicki and Evan Zhu (2018) collected NCAA individual championships with de Villiers on staff. Three future ATP Top 100 singles players โ Cressy, Giron and Mackenzie McDonald โ have matriculated through UCLA during de Villiersโ tenure in Westwood. De Villiers has helped eight Bruins achieve All-America status, with five of them being honored at least twice. UCLA also had three Pac-12 Singles Players of the Year (Denis Novikov in 2013, McDonald in 2015 and Redlicki in 2018), three Pac-12 Doubles Teams of the Year (Redlicki/Evan Zhu in 2017 and 2018 and Cressy/Smith in 2019) and three Pac-12 Freshmen/Newcomers of the Year (McDonald in 2014, Smith in 2018 and Spencer Johnson in 2024) with de Villiers on staff.
Prior to joining UCLA, de Villiers played collegiate tennis from 2008-2011, spending one season at Pepperdine before transferring to Fresno State. He came into his own with the Bulldogs, earning All-Western Athletic Conference (WAC) recognition each year. It was a breakout 2011 for de Villiers and the Bulldogs, who advanced to the NCAA Championships second round after claiming the WAC's automatic bid to the tournament. Individually, de Villiers was named to the All-WAC Singles and Doubles First Teams. As a partnership, de Villiers and Remi Boutillier earned a second trip to the NCAA Championships doubles tournament and finished the season ranked No. 18 in the Campbell/ITA doubles rankings. For his singles prowess, de Villiers reached a career-best No. 83.
A multiple-time winner at the African Championships as a junior player, de Villiers picked up his first ATP point at just 14 years old.
The Martin & de Villiers Tennis Camps take place each summer at LATC on UCLAโs campus.
A native of Durban, South Africa, de Villiers came to UCLA in the fall of 2012 and immediately aided the Bruins in their run to the final round of the NCAA Championships the following spring. Over the course of his first five seasons on staff, UCLA registered an overall record of 124-25 (.832) and dropped just three regular-season Pac-12 matches (32-3). The 2014, 2016 and 2018 Bruins also secured Pac-12 tournament titles during de Villiers' time as a volunteer. He coached American Ryan Harrison on the ATP World Tour during his time away from the program in 2015-16.
UCLA had a memorable first season as a member of the Big Ten Conference, winning 17 of its final 20 matches in 2024-25. The Bruins seized the Big Ten Conference Tournament title, beating host and top-seeded Ohio State in a 4-3 thriller that snapped the Buckeyesโ 76-match home winning streak. Unseeded UCLA ultimately reached the NCAA Championships quarterfinal round, beating crosstown rival USC at Los Angeles Tennis Center (LATC) to get there.
In the 2019 dual-match season, de Villiers helped the program to its fourth regular-season Pac-12 title in a row. UCLA went 8-0 in conference play, stretching its winning streak in league regular-season matches to 29. The Bruins would go on to reach the third round of the NCAA tournament. There was also individual success, as the duo of Maxime Cressy and Keegan Smith posted a 21-0 record and claimed the 14th NCAA doubles championship in program history.
In addition to Cressy and Smith, Marcos Giron (2014) and the combination of Martin Redlicki and Evan Zhu (2018) collected NCAA individual championships with de Villiers on staff. Three future ATP Top 100 singles players โ Cressy, Giron and Mackenzie McDonald โ have matriculated through UCLA during de Villiersโ tenure in Westwood. De Villiers has helped eight Bruins achieve All-America status, with five of them being honored at least twice. UCLA also had three Pac-12 Singles Players of the Year (Denis Novikov in 2013, McDonald in 2015 and Redlicki in 2018), three Pac-12 Doubles Teams of the Year (Redlicki/Evan Zhu in 2017 and 2018 and Cressy/Smith in 2019) and three Pac-12 Freshmen/Newcomers of the Year (McDonald in 2014, Smith in 2018 and Spencer Johnson in 2024) with de Villiers on staff.
Prior to joining UCLA, de Villiers played collegiate tennis from 2008-2011, spending one season at Pepperdine before transferring to Fresno State. He came into his own with the Bulldogs, earning All-Western Athletic Conference (WAC) recognition each year. It was a breakout 2011 for de Villiers and the Bulldogs, who advanced to the NCAA Championships second round after claiming the WAC's automatic bid to the tournament. Individually, de Villiers was named to the All-WAC Singles and Doubles First Teams. As a partnership, de Villiers and Remi Boutillier earned a second trip to the NCAA Championships doubles tournament and finished the season ranked No. 18 in the Campbell/ITA doubles rankings. For his singles prowess, de Villiers reached a career-best No. 83.
A multiple-time winner at the African Championships as a junior player, de Villiers picked up his first ATP point at just 14 years old.
The Martin & de Villiers Tennis Camps take place each summer at LATC on UCLAโs campus.
NCAA Men's Tennis vs. USC - Billy Martin, Spencer Johnson (May 9, 2025)
Saturday, May 10
NCAA MTN Super Regionals - Billy Martin, Spencer Johnson (May 9, 2025)
Friday, May 09
M. Tennis Interview - Coach Martin on T2's "Second Serve" (April 28, 2025)
Monday, April 28
Portraits of Culture - Bryce Pereira
Friday, May 28
