Fastest tennis serves ever recorded for men and women

Tennis serves with the fastest speeds aren’t always the fastest, but they are valuable weapons, and certainly entertaining to watch.

Our article highlights the world’s fastest men’s and women’s tennis serves recorded throughout history, as well as some of the game’s most popular players’ Fastest tennis serves.

What is the fastest tennis serve ever recorded?

The world’s fastest serve was hit by Australian Sam Groth on May 9, 2012, in Busan, South Korea. The serve was delivered in Groth’s second-round Challenger match against Uladzimir Ignatik from Belarus, which he lost 4-6, 3-6.

The native of New South Wales, Australia, Groth was born on October 19, 1987. He turned professional in 2006 and is 6’11” (193 cm) tall and right-handed. His career-high ranking was 53 in 2010.

To give you a sense of the massive serve he delivers, we included this video as well as a compilation of other videos showcasing it.

Average Serve Speed Of Players

Considering the average speed of tennis serves will help you understand how fast the serves in this article are.

Using over 100 ATP Tour players as a reference, here are the averages based on the data gathered.

• Average First Serve Speed: 115.79 mph (186.35 km/h)
• Average Second Serve Speed: 94.44 mph (151.98 km/h)
• Average Serve Speed: 109.75 mph (176.62 km/h)

In light of this, the average first serve speed for men in tennis is 41% slower than 77 km/h (48 mph).

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Men’s 20 Fastest Tennis Serves (ATP)

Listed below are the fastest serves ever recorded in men’s tennis.

The list only shows a player’s single fastest serve once, for each player. The entire dataset can also be viewed by scrolling left to right.

**This list does not contain serves that have been officially recognized as being the fastest ever recorded by the ATP. Players who hit the same serve speed twice are listed as the oldest.

*ATP does not recognize serves highlighted in red.

We can’t share most of the fastest men’s serves online due to a lack of online information. In most cases, it’s not their fastest serve, so we have compiled a playlist that highlights each player on our list. Enjoy your time!

The fastest men’s serves are summarized below:

• 148 mph (238 km/h) is the average speed of the fastest serves
• 146 mph (236.6 km/h) is the median speed of the fastest serves.
• There is a range of 142.9 mph to 163.4 mph (20.5) in serve speed
• Serving speeds range from 230 km/h to 263 km/h (33km/h).
• Typically, players are between 5’9″ and 6’11” (1’2″).
• There is a range of heights in cm for players from 175 cm to 211 cm (36 cm).
• In total, 25 years have passed since 1998, with the most recent serving as of the writing of this article being 2023.

Listed below are the countries that have at least two players:

• United States 8
• Spain 4
• Germany 4
• France 3
• Croatia 3
• Poland 3
• Serbia 3
• Australia 2
• Sweden 2
• Russia 2
• Chile 2
• Switzerland 2

Men’s ATP Players’ Fastest Serves

For success in tennis, some of the biggest names rely on placement, consistency, and a variety of other aspects.

A fast serve doesn’t necessarily indicate a better player, although quality serving cannot be underestimated at any level of tennis.

Among the fastest serves that have been landed by some of the biggest names in tennis and a few others that have appeared from time to time, let’s look at some of those. You can learn more about each serve by clicking any of the links below.

• John Isner – 253 km/h (157.2 mph)
• Milos Raonic – 250 km/h (155.3 mph)
• Andy Roddick – 249.4 km/h (155 mph)
• Roscoe Tanner – 246 km/h (153 mph)
• Alexander Zverev – 236.6 km/h (147.0 mph)
• Andy Murray – 233.4 km/h (145 mph)
• Nick Kyrigios – 230.1 km/h (143.0 mph)
• Roger Federer – 230 km/h (143 mph)
• Novak Djokovic – 219 km/h (136 mph)
• Rafael Nadal – 217 km/h (135 mph)

John Isner

At 6’10” and dwarfing his opponents, John Isner stands out from most opponents. A right-handed player from Greensboro, NC, who holds the record for the fastest serve ever recorded by the ATP, takes advantage of his height as one of the biggest servers on tour. As a Davis Cup player, he defeated Australian Bernard Tomic in 2016 by serving 157.2 mph (253 km/h).

Milos Raonic

A lot of attention has been paid to Raonic’s dominant serve over the years. A 6’5″ right-handed Canadian, he has become the centerpiece of the ATP tour with his gigantic serves since joining in 2008. Against another big server, Viktor Troicki, Milos recorded a 255.3 mph (250 km/h) serve at the Rogers Cup in 2012 in front of his home crowd.

Andy Roddick

In 2003, Andy Roddick achieved the world’s No. 1 ranking by using his serve and his huge forehand during his career. The fastest serve Roddick ever recorded was 155 mph (249.4 km/h) against Belarus’ Vladimir Voltchkov in the 2004 Davis Cup semifinal.

Roscoe Tanner

Roscoe Tanner, a former Grand Slam champion and world number four, was known for his powerful lefty serve at the American Airlines Tennis Games in 1978, reaching 153 mph (246 km/h).

Alexander Zverev

Alexander Zverev is known for his inconsistent second serves, but he attacks first serves like no other. In 2021, Zverev hit an impressive 147 mph (236 km/h) serve at the Indian Wells Masters, helped by his height of 6’6″ (198 cm).

Andy Murray

Andy Murray is a powerful 6’3″ African American who can rack up his serve, and his top speed of 145 mph, which he clocked while playing Kevin Kim at the 2007 SAP Open in San Jose proves he’s not a slouch. At the 2016 US Open, he hit 145 mph on his second serve against Grigor Dimitrov.

Nick Kyrigios

Nick Kyrigios is well known on the ATP Tour for his raw talent, athleticism, and explosive shot-making abilities. One of his strongest weapons is particularly his serve, which can be hit with significant pace and variety. At Wimbledon in 2019, Nick achieved the fastest serve speed of his career while playing Rafael Nadal in the second round.

Roger Federer

Federer ranks among the top players with a 143 mph serve, which is highly respectable. It can be said that Federer’s serve is one of the most lethal weapons in the game due to its amazing accuracy and consistency, perhaps the best in history.

Novak Djokovic

Historically, Djokovic’s serve hasn’t necessarily been regarded as one of the best. While his serve has proven to be a reliable weapon, it has also contributed to his success as one of the greatest players of all time.

Rafael Nadal

The fact that Rafa ranks among the fastest servers is a surprise, as he is not known for his serve, but he does have an incredibly solid serve that we feel is underrated. As if that weren’t impressive enough, his game is even more impressive.

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Women’s 10 Fastest Tennis Serves (WTA)

I’ve also included a list of the fastest serves ever made by women in tennis. Each player is listed only once in this section of the top 10 fastest serves.

Having a list of the fastest women’s serves is always a good idea, right? Here are videos featuring each player on our list serving. Many of the fastest serves by women were not recorded on video or are not publicly available, so we compiled examples.

The entire data set can be viewed by scrolling left to right.

**Players who hit the same serve speed twice are listed as the oldest.

*The WTA does not recognize highlighted serves.

In our list of the fastest women’s tennis serves, we noted the following:

• 126 mph (205.2 km/h) is the average speed of the fastest serves
• 126 mph (203 km/h) is the median speed of the fastest serves
• A serving speed of 136.6 miles per hour to 124.3 miles per hour (12.4 miles per hour) is possible.
• Speeds in km/h range from 200 to 220 (20km/h).
• Typically, players are between 5’7″ and 6’2″ (7 inches) tall.
• In cm, players range in height from 144 cm to 188 cm (44 cm).
• For a 16-year span, the earliest serve dates back to 2007, and the most recent is 2023.

These are the countries with the fastest serves, with at least two players per country:

• United States 5
• Germany 3
• France 2
• Serbia 2
• Netherlands 2
• Czech Republic 2

Women’s WTA Players’ Fastest Serves

Women on the WTA are hitting bigger serves than the men on the ATP tour, and their speeds are also higher.

The following ladies are frequently asked about when it comes to the fastest serves on the WTA. You can learn more about each serve by clicking any of the links below.

• Aryna Sabalenka – 214 km/h (133 mph)
• Sabine Lisicki – 210.8 km/h (131.0 mph)
• Venus Williams – 207.6 km/h (129 mph)
• Alycia Parks – 207.6 km/h (129.0 mph)
• Serena Williams – 206.4 km/h (128.3 mph)
• Coco Gauff – 206 km/h (128 mph)
• Naomi Osaka – 201 km/h (125.0 mph)
• Maria Sharapova – 194 km/h (121 mph)

Aryna Sabalenka

The powerful baseline game and serve of Aryna Sabalenka have solidified her place among the elite players on the WTA.

 The speed at which she serves topped out at 133.0 mph (214 km/h), making her number two on my list of the fastest players ever. A year-end tournament, the WTA Elite Trophy, allowed her to accomplish the feat.

Sabine Lisicki

In 2014, Ana Ivanovic, who eventually won the Bank of the West Classic, topped the right-handed right-hander from Germany, who broke into the top spot with the fastest serve.

Venus Williams

Venus Williams is No. 3 on the list with a 129 mph serve that she held for seven years before Sabine Lisicki broke it in 2014. Neither of the Williams sisters makes the list of the top 10 fastest women’s servers. The WTA tour remains dominated by Venus’s excellent serving.

Alycia Parks

One of the most explosive female tennis players on our list, Alycia Parks, also has one of the biggest serves on the WTA. A match against Olga Danilovic in 2021 yielded her fastest serve ever, which measured 129 mph (207.6 km/h).

Serena Williams

The dominance of Serena in the WTA is undeniable, and her serve is crucial to her game. In terms of serving prowess, Serena is undoubtedly an all-time great, even though she doesn’t top the list of fastest women’s servers.

Coco Gauff

In 2018, Coco Gauff turned pro, and her career fastest serve proves she has one of the strongest games on tour.

 In the 2022 US Open, Coco reached 128 mph (206 km/h) with her fastest serve at the age of 18. Her record will be easier to break because she was born in 2004.

Naomi Osaka

As one of the WTA’s best players, Naomi Osaka boasts a well-rounded game that includes a powerful serve, which is crucial to her success. With plenty of time left in her career, she could one-up the 125 mph serve she hit at the US Open in 2016.

Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova, who is now retired, had a powerful baseline game combined with a powerful serve courtesy of her 6’2″ height. She had her fastest serve during a semi-final match against Alison Riske at 121 mph (194 km/h) earlier in her career.

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Fast Tennis Serves Faqs

Conclusion

There has been tremendous athleticism and technological advancement in tennis’ quest for the fastest serves. There have been astounding records set both by men and women in the world of tennis.

We can see from a close look at the world’s fastest serves that these feats were achieved through rigorous training, impeccable technique, and an unwavering dedication to excellence.

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