- Joan Hahn
- May 6, 2021
- Last Updated on
It’s true that being the fastest does not assure you of winning the match, but it is quite useful. What’s more, a speedy ball flying towards the service box is extremely fun to watch.
We’re going to find out the fastest recorded serves for both men and women by some of the world’s best players. But, really, how fast is a tennis serve?
How Fast Should A Tennis Serve Be
A proper tennis serve should deliver the right amount of spin and angle. The average speed for men is between 110mph and 120mph.
Meanwhile, the average speed for the second one is between 85mph and 95 mph.
The first is between 95mph and 105mph, with the second speed averaging between 75mph and 85mph for women.
The world’s fastest is an incredible 163.7mph by Sam Groth with a height of 6 ft 4 inches.
However, it was not recognized by the ATP. It was performed in a game at Busan, South Korea.
The fastest one was done during the second round against his opponent, Uladzimir Ignatik. A player can become better through training on the court, for the most part.
Types of Serves to Consider
Women’s First Serve
Georgina Garcia Pérez has the title of the world’s fastest server at 135.7mph in 2018, which blows past the average of women at only 95mph. The tournament occurred in the 2018 Hungarian Ladies Open event.
In the same year, but in a different tournament, Aryna Sabalenka took second place with her 133mph in the 2018 WTA Elite Trophy.
Tennis player Serena Williams, who is considered to have the best in the sport for women, regularly has a power of 100mph on the court. However, she only ranks 6th on the list with her 128.6mph done in the 2013 Australian Open.
Women’s Second Serve
In the 2015 US Open, the top players, including Serena Williams, had over 70% first winning percentage.
However, on the second one, only two athletes could keep the second server winning percentage higher than 50% in the 2015 US Open. They are Stosur and Makarova with a 53.1% and 51.4% winning percentage, respectively.
For a female athlete hitting the second, the chances are you will lose the point rather than win the ball. However, it’s possible to improve by training.
Men’s First Serve
The current world record holder for the world’s fastest serve speeds is the player Samuel Groth at 163.7mph.
It is closely followed by Albano Olivetti at 160mph in the 2012 Internazionali Trofeo Lame Perrel–Faip. John Isner took third place at 157.2mph in the 2016 Davis Cup.
Related Posts:
- Learning to Play Tennis as a Beginner
- Keeping Score in Tennis
- Meaning of Let in Tennis
- Learning to Serve in Tennis
Men’s Second Serve
Men are now hitting the second one nearer to the lines on average, which is also the case for women.
The average second for men in the 2017 Australian Open remains at 93mph (1), and pro-athletes-level still maintain that speed up to this day.
Ivo Karlović is the guy with the men’s second serve speed records at 144.2mph.
FAQS
The player who has the fastest serves in for 2020 is Nick Kyrgios. It happened in the 2020 Australian Open, and he currently ranks as one of the fastest servers in the world.
Roger Federer’s fastest record is 143mph, which happened in the 2010 Gerry Weber Open.
Samuel Groth has the world’s best serve ever recorded at 163.7mph. However, it is not recognized by the Association of Tennis Professionals as it lacks uniformity.
How Fast is the Average Tennis Serve?
The average is 110 mph to 120 mph serve for men. Meanwhile, for women, it is 95mph to 105mph.
The best tennis players have speeds of over 130mph for men and over 120 miles per hour for women.
Having a fast one does not equate to a win as there are other factors to consider. However, it does increase the advantage.
Investing time in training is not a waste. You have to make sure you’re positioned optimally behind the baseline, and your racquet is in the best condition to get fast tennis serves.
References:
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/24748668.2010.11868509
