What is the most important weapon in the game of tennis? Probably serve, right. There will be an advantage to any tennis player who has a good serving ability and can also change the game at any point of time and turn the game in his favour. Other shots also play an important role in the game of tennis but undoubtedly serve is considered to be the most important shot in tennis. This article covers Top 5 fastest tennis serves of all-time in the category of men and women, both.
WTA, ATP and ITF generally do not measure the speed of the Tennis serves, they do not maintain or publish the data of the fastest tennis serves of all time however it is being done by Sports Media Technology Limited which has been tracking this speed record Since then. The main issue which arises while measuring the serve speed is same kind of tools, cannot be used in every tournament and on every court so there is a slight chance of error and hence it cannot be said that the speeds which are measured, are accurate. Apart from that Each and every tournament; and every court does not have tools and high-tech facilities to measure the speed of tennis serves.
We still have data out there to analyze, what kind of serves are humanly possible and which are the biggest tennis serves in a tour.
Top 5 Fastest Tennis Serves of All-Time
| RANK | NAME | RECORDED SPEED | EVENT |
| 1. | JOHN ISNER | 253.0 KM/H | DAVIS CUP 2016 |
| 2. | IVO KARLOVIC | 251.0 KM/H | DAVIS CUP 2011 |
| 3. | MILOS RAONIC | 249.9 KM/H | SAP OPEN 2011 |
| 4. | ANDY RODDICK | 249.4 KM/H | DAVIS CUP 2004 |
| 5. | FELICIANO LOPEZ | 244.6 KM/H | AEGON CHAMPIONSHIP 2014 |
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The list is not historically complete since the fastest recorded serve was done by Sam Groth and Albano Olivetti, and the recorded speed of the serve was 263.0 km/h and 257 km/h respectively. However, it is not included in the list of top 5 fastest tennis servers of all time since ATP does not maintain or keep records of challenger events. let’s discuss into detail about the top 5 fastest tennis serves of all time.
1. John Isner
Beginning with the most Lethal tennis serve of all time in the history of tennis, John Isner has the record of the fastest tennis serve of all time. Probably the most important factor that led John to achieve this feat was his tall body frame. John Isner has a tall posture, his height being 6’10”. In the Davis cup tournament of 2016, John delivered the fastest serve of his career, which is a recorded speed of deadly, 253.0 Km/h. Talking more about John Isner, he has many records, the most important and jaw-dropping record in the name of John Isner is against Nicholas Mahut in the 2010 edition of the Wimbledon Championship, on this day he delivered 113 aces in a single match. Apart from this big feat, he also holds a record of the highest number of career aces, surpassing the record of Ivo Karlovic.
2. Ivo Karlovic
One of the biggest advantage to Ivo Karlovic is the height he possesses, he is 6 feet 11 inches which makes it a cakewalk for him to serve as fast as he can. Ivo Karlovic is the first Croatian player to break the record of 250 km/h mark. He holds the second spot in the list of fastest serves of all time and also has the highest number of career aces, however, this record was broken by John Isner. Karlovic achieved the feat of holding the second position in the list of top 5 fastest serves of all time in the doubles match against Germany in the 2011 Davis cup, where John Isner delivered a jaw-dropping turbo serve of 251 Km/h.
3. Milos Raonic
Ranked 3rd in the list of top 5 fastest tennis serves of all-time is Milos Raonic. He has a unique playing style, and he is one of the best servers of the open era. Raonic is an aggressive player and basically lays more emphasis on using full dimensions of the court, and entirely focusing on the quality of the serve. He has a 91% winning ratio of service games and is ranked third in the list. His fastest serve was recorded when he was competing with Ryan Harrison in the 2012 SAP Open. In the semi-finals, Raonic came up with a monstrous 249.4 km/h (159 mph) serve, Almost equal to Andy Roddick.
4. Andy Roddick
Former American world number no.1, Andy Roddick is a major champion and has won the 2003 US Open. Andy Roddick has the record of one of the fastest servers of all time. The secret and possible reason for his ability to serve big is the great range of motion and flexibility in his shoulder. Andy Roddick had the major advantage of serving big and fast. He won the 2003 US Open title and he became the last American to hold the spot. In Davis Cup 2004, While competing against Austria, he Delivered his fastest serve of 249.4 Km/h.
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5. Feliciano Lopez
Left-handed Feliciano Lopez possesses records of lethal serves and also has a unique playing style; he is aggressive on the court and generally uses a single-handed backhand His biggest strengths are his great serve and his ability to play the net. Unfortunately, he does not always play to his strengths. He delivered his fastest serve of 244.6 KM/H in the Aegon Queens Club Championship 2014.
FAQs Related to Top 5 Fastest Tennis Serves of All-Time
Q. What is the fastest tennis serve of all time?
Ans. 163.7 mph
Q. What was Andy Roddick’s fastest serve?
Ans. Tanner’s serve of 153 mph was the fastest recorded in tennis history until Andy Roddick broke it in September of 2004 with a serve of 155 mph.
Q. Who is the best server in tennis history?
Ans. The Serve Dr. Ivo Karlovic is regarded by many as the single greatest server of all time. Standing at 6”11, he holds the all-time record for the most career aces served, with a staggering 13,653 in 690 matches.
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