Fastest recorded tennis serves
This article lists serving speed record breaks for the men's and women's professional tennis.
Udayachand Shetty with Roy Emerson
Udayachand Shetty after winning the Gilbey Gin's Fast Serve Tennis Tournament
This list is not to be historically complete. For instance, Roscoe Tanner's serve was clocked at 153 mph at Palm Springs in 1978 during the final against Raúl Ramírez. There are also reports that Bill Tilden had a serve that was clocked at 163.3 mph but there is nothing to verify that.[1] Also, Ellsworth Vines in the Wimbledon finals of 1932 clocked 121 mph (without Radar).[2] Udayachand Shetty's winning serve was clocked by radar at 120 mph using a wooden racquet, at the Gilbey Gins fast serve contest held in Chicago on July 24th 1976.[3] This qualified him to take part in the finals at the west side tennis club in Forest Hills Queens on 20th August, 1976.
Colin Dibley of Australia won the event with a serve of 130 mph.[4]
Currently, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) does not formally recognize service speed records made in Challenger tour events due to lack of uniformity in these tournaments' radar guns (including availability or lack thereof). Nevertheless, the serve speed of 263.4 km/h (163.7 mph) recorded by Australian Sam Groth at an ATP Challenger event in Busan, South Korea in May 2012 was measured using approved equipment according to the ATP, and other data gathered appeared within a normal range. However, John Isner holds the ATP's official record for the fastest serve at 253 km/h (157.2 mph).[5]
Ivo Karlović with a 232 km/h (144 mph) second serve in the quarterfinals of the 2007 Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, holds the record for the fastest second serve ever recorded.[6]
- Criteria
- Men's serves must be recorded at or over 230 km/h (143 mph) minimum standard speed.
- Women's serves must be recorded at or over 200 km/h (124 mph) minimum standard speed.[7]
- Only one serve per player is recorded here. For example, Andy Roddick has many 230 km/h (143 mph) or faster serves on his record but only his personal best of 249 km/h (155 mph) is included.[8]
- In cases where more than one serve has been recorded at the same speed, the oldest recorded serve is listed first.
Contents
1 Men
2 Women
3 See also
4 References
Men
Not recognized by ATP
Not formally recognized by ATP and/or unsourced
| Rank | Player | Speed | Event | Type | Round | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Samuel Groth[note 1] | 263.4 km/h (163.7 mph) | 2012 Busan Open Challenger Tennis | Singles | 2R | [10] |
| 2 |  Albano Olivetti | 257.5 km/h (160 mph) | 2012 Internazionali Trofeo Lame Perrel–Faip | 1R | [11] | |
| 3 |  John Isner | 253 km/h (157.2 mph) | 2016 Davis Cup | 1R | [12] | |
| 4 |  Ivo Karlović | 251 km/h (156.0 mph) | 2011 Davis Cup | Doubles | 1R | [13] |
 Jerzy Janowicz[note 2] | 2012 Pekao Szczecin Open | Singles | 1R | [15] | ||
| 6 | Andy Roddick | 249.4 km/h (155 mph) | 2004 Davis Cup | SF | [16] | |
 Milos Raonic | 2012 SAP Open | SF | [17] | |||
| 8 |  Joachim Johansson | 244.6 km/h (152 mph) | 2004 Davis Cup | Doubles | 1R | [18] |
 Feliciano López | 2014 Aegon Championships | Singles | 1R | [19] | ||
| 10 |  Marius Copil | 244 km/h (151.6 mph) | 2016 European Open | QF | [20] | |
| 11 | Hubert Hurkacz | 243 km/h (151.0 mph) | 2016 Davis Cup | 1R | [20] | |
| 12 | Taylor Dent | 240 km/h (149.1 mph) | 2010 French Open | 1R | [17] | |
 Juan Martín del Potro | 2017 Stockholm Open | F | [21] | |||
| 14 |  Greg Rusedski | 239.8 km/h (149 mph) | 1998 Newsweek Champions Cup | SF | [22] | |
| 15 |  Dmitry Tursunov | 237 km/h (147.3 mph) | 2006 Davis Cup | SF | ||
| Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | 2014 Rogers Cup | QF | [23] | |||
| Frances Tiafoe | 2018 Estoril Open | F | ||||
| 18 |  Fernando González | 236 km/h (146.6 mph) | 2007 Italian Open (tennis) | SF | [24] | |
| 19 | Gaël Monfils | 235 km/h (146 mph) | 2007 Legg Mason Tennis Classic | QF | [17] | |
 Dušan Vemić | 2008 Countrywide Classic | ? | [17] | |||
| Marin Čilić | 2016 Davis Cup | 1R | [citation needed] | |||
| 22 | Ivan Ljubičić | 234 km/h (145.4 mph) | 2005 Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid | F | [25] | |
 Stan Wawrinka | 2014 Davis Cup | Doubles | F | [26] | ||
| 24 |  Grigor Dimitrov | 233.4 km/h (145 mph) | 2013 Aegon Championships | Singles | ? | [citation needed] |
| Reilly Opelka | 2016 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships | ? | ? | [citation needed] | ||
| Viktor Troicki | 2017 Davis Cup | ? | ? | [citation needed] | ||
| 27 | Nicolás Jarry | 233 km/h (144.8 mph) | 2018 Davis Cup | ? | 1R | [27] |
| 28 | Fernando Verdasco | 232 km/h (144.2 mph) | 2009 French Open | ? | ? | [17] |
 Dominic Thiem | 2017 Gerry Weber Open | ? | ? | [citation needed] | ||
| 30 | Mardy Fish | 231.7 km/h (144 mph) | 2007 Pacific Life Open | ? | 1R | [citation needed] |
| Marcin Matkowski | 2009 ATP World Tour Finals | ? | ? | [citation needed] | ||
| 32 |  Martin Verkerk | 230 km/h (143 mph) | 2003 Breil Milano Indoor | ? | ? | [citation needed] |
| Robin Söderling | 2010 ATP World Tour Finals | ? | ? | [citation needed] | ||
 Daniel Brands | 2011 Intersport Heilbronn Open | ? | ? | [citation needed] | ||
 Jiří Veselý | 2014 Wimbledon | ? | ? | [citation needed] | ||
| Nicolás Almagro | 2016 Argentina Open | ? | ? | [citation needed] |
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^ In the match, Groth also hit serves recorded at 255.7 km/h (158.9 mph) and 253.5 km/h (157.5 mph)[9]
^ His fastest verified serve clocked in at 149.3 mph (240 km/h) in the 2013 Davis Cup and he produced a 150.4 mph (242 km/h) serve during his run in the 2012 Paris Masters, but it was a let.[14]
Women
The WTA does not recognize, nor keep tabs of speed records set outside selected main draw segment of WTA Tour tournaments (where at least one of the tennis courts has a speed gun installation in place). Therefore even records that have been achieved during qualifications in those same places but not in main draw matches as well as records documented at other matches like ITF tour events, Fed Cup ties, Olympics tennis and other tournaments are not counted as part of women's speed record.
Not recognized by WTA
| Rank | Player | Speed[28] | Event[note 1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgina Garcia Pérez | 220.0 km/h (136.7 mph) | 2018 Hungarian Ladies Open[29] |
| 2 |  Aryna Sabalenka | 214.0 km/h (133.0 mph) | 2018 WTA Elite Trophy[30] |
| 3 | Sabine Lisicki | 210.8 km/h (131.0 mph) | 2014 Stanford Classic[31] |
| 4 | Brenda Schultz-McCarthy | 209.2 km/h (130.0 mph) | 2006 Cincinati Masters (qualies)[32] |
| 5 | Venus Williams | 207.6 km/h (129.0 mph) | 2007 US Open |
| 6 | Serena Williams | 207.0 km/h (128.6 mph) | 2013 Australian Open |
| Ivana Jorović | 2017 Fed Cup | ||
| 8 | Julia Görges | 203.0 km/h (126.1 mph) | 2012 French Open |
| Caroline Garcia | 2016 Fed Cup | ||
| 10 | Brenda Schultz-McCarthy | 202.7 km/h (126.0 mph) | 2007 Indian Wells Masters |
| 11 |  Nadiya Kichenok | 202.0 km/h (125.5 mph) | 2014 Australian Open |
| 12 | Lucie Hradecká | 201.2 km/h (125.0 mph) | 2015 Wimbledon |
 Naomi Osaka | 2016 US Open | ||
| 14 | Anna-Lena Grönefeld | 201.1 km/h (125.0 mph) | 2009 Indian Wells Masters |
| 15 | Ana Ivanovic | 201.0 km/h (124.9 mph) | 2007 French Open |
| Denisa Allertová | 2015 Australian Open[33] | ||
| 17 | Kristina Mladenovic | 200.0 km/h (124.3 mph) | 2009 French Open |
^ "IDS[clarification needed] only collects serve speed data on show courts at certain events (11 in 2014) and started doing so in 1989 ... Players who have had multiple Top 10 fastest serves only have their top one listed, and if they hit that top speed multiple times, just the first time they did it is listed." http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/1978722/title/ids-serve-speed-leaders
See also
- Ace (tennis)
References
^ http://bleacherreport.com/articles/612431-pete-sampras-and-the-top-25-servers-in-the-history-of-mens-tennis
^ Smith, Red (1977-08-26). "They only serve but Hard". New York Times. p. 37..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "Aussie has a racket- hits "em 148 miles per hour". Chicago Tribune (published 1976-08-19). 1976. p. 7.
^ Rogers, Thomas (1976-08-21). "Dibley service fastest in town". New York Times.
^ "Aussie Groth Hits Speedy Serves". Association of Tennis Professionals Staff. 2012-12-05.
^ http://isportsweb.com/2015/10/10/tennis-ivo-karlovic-loses-but-breaks-another-record/
^ "IDS Serve Speed Leaders". Pro Tennis Internet Network. 2011-06-30.
^ "Andy Roddick's Serve". Retrieved 5 June 2012.
^ "Fastest serve of a tennis ball (male)". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 27 Jan 2017.
^ "Aussie smashes tennis serve speed record". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
^ "Groth and Olivetti Top Guns of Fast Serve". Orange Deuce. August 11, 2012.
^ "Davis Cup 2016: John Isner breaks serve speed record with 253km/h bomb". Fox Sports. 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
^ "Ivo Karlovic sets world serve record". ESPN. March 6, 2011.
^ "The final in figures". Fédération Française de Tennis. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
^ "The record service speed of 251km/hour in the Challenger in Szczecin". Official Website of Jordan Tratree. August 1, 2013.
^ Tennis headlines, March 6, 2011
^ abcde "2011 ATP World Tour Media Guide". Association of Tennis Professionals. p. 205. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
^ Botero B., Andrés (15 July 2014). "El saque más veloz del tenis estará en el ATP 250 de Bogotá". eltiempo.com (in Spanish).
^ López, Feliciano (9 June 2014). "We will continue playing 2morrow at 12 noon.So happy to hit my fastest bullet today 152mph!!!!". @feliciano_lopez. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
^ ab "Nu-i joacă de Copil! Arădeanul este în semifinale, la Budapesta. Am aflat de ce evoluează senzațional! | Alte sporturi, Alte sporturi, Sport, Tenis, Tenis | Libertatea.ro". Libertatea.ro (in Romanian). 2016-10-28. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
^ SamTennisVids (2017-10-22), Grigor Dimitrov Vs Juan Martin del Potro - Stockholm 2017 Final (Highlights HD), retrieved 2017-12-19
^ "Hingis wins title; Rusedski hits 149 mph". Houston Chronicle. March 15, 1998. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
^ "Tsonga credits leg work to increased serve speed". theScore.com. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyKcXaEO9Wc&t=6m33s
^ {{}}
^ Dan Rascanu (2014-12-20), Davis Cup 2014 Federer / Wawrinka vs Benneteau / Gasquet, retrieved 2017-12-19
^ https://www.latercera.com/el-deportivo/noticia/un-saque-supersonico/57485/
^ "IDS Serve Speed Leaders". WTA. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
^ AS, Diario (2018-02-19). "Georgina García, al cuadro final con un saque de ¡220 km/h!". AS.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-02-23.
^ "Ardeal on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
^ "Lisicki hits fastest serve ever". WTA. July 29, 2014.
^ "Record opnieuw van Schultz: opslag van 209 kilometer per uur". De Volkskrant. Retrieved 2018-11-04.
^ "Australian Open 2015 tournament statistics: Cornet vs. Allertova". ausopen.com. January 22, 2015.
