Fastest recorded tennis serves
Encyclopedia
This article lists the fastest recorded tennis serves in the men's and women's game. A serve by Bill Tilden
in 1931 was timed at 163.3 mph (263 km/h), but this is not listed because of questionable technological accuracy.
Bill Tilden
William Tatem Tilden II , nicknamed "Big Bill," is often considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time. An American tennis player who was the World No. 1 player for seven years, he won 14 Majors including ten Grand Slams and four Pro Slams. Bill Tilden dominated the world of...
in 1931 was timed at 163.3 mph (263 km/h), but this is not listed because of questionable technological accuracy.
Men
Rank | Player | Speed | Event |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Ivo Karlović Ivo Karlovic Ivo Karlović is a Croatian tennis player. He has won four ATP singles titles: three in 2007 and one in 2008. Karlović is the tallest player ever on the ATP Tour at 208 cm . He is a serve-and-volleyer, Karlovic holds the fastest serve recorded in professional tennis, measured at 251 km/h ... |
156 mph (251 km/h) | 2011 Davis Cup |
2 | Andy Roddick Andy Roddick Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish.... |
155 mph (249 km/h) | 2004 Davis Cup |
3 | Roscoe Tanner Roscoe Tanner Roscoe Tanner is an American former professional tennis player, who turned pro in 1972 and reached a career high world singles ranking of World No... |
153 mph (246 km/h) | 1978 Palm Springs final* |
4 | Joachim Johansson Joachim Johansson Joachim Johansson is a former professional male tennis player from Sweden.-Background:Johansson was born in Lund and currently lives in Södertälje, Sweden. His father, Leif Johansson, was also a tennis player and represented Sweden in the Davis Cup in the 1970s. He goes by the nickname "Pim Pim",... |
152 mph (245 km/h) | 2004 Davis Cup |
5 | Milos Raonic Milos Raonic Milos Raonic is a Canadian professional tennis player from Thornhill, Ontario, Canada.Born in what is now Podgorica, Montenegro, Raonic moved to Canada with his family at the age of 3. Raonic is Canada's highest ATP ranked male singles player and the country's highest ever ranked player since... |
150 mph (241 km/h) | 2011 Memphis |
6 | John Isner John Isner John Robert Isner is an American professional tennis player. He achieved his career-high rank of no. 18 on July 5, 2010, and has been as high as the second-ranked American tennis player behind Andy Roddick... |
149.9 mph (241 km/h) | 2011 Western and Southern Open |
7 | Taylor Dent Taylor Dent Taylor Phillip Dent is a retired professional tennis player from the United States.-Early career and back injury:He won 4 ATP singles titles during his career: Newport , Bangkok , Memphis , and Moscow , and reached the finals of three other events on tour... |
149.8 mph (241 km/h) | 2006 Rotterdam |
8 | Ernests Gulbis Ernests Gulbis Ernests Gulbis is a Latvian professional tennis player. In 2008, Gulbis won his first ATP Tour doubles title at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, teaming with Rainer Schüttler, and in 2010 won his first ATP Tour singles title in the Delray Beach, defeating Ivo Karlović in the final... |
149.3 mph (240 km/h) | 2007 St. Petersburg Open |
9 | Greg Rusedski Greg Rusedski Gregory "Greg" Rusedski is a British Canadian former tennis player who turned professional in 1991 and played until his retirement on 7 April 2007, at the age of 33... |
149 mph (240 km/h) | 1998 Indian Wells |
10 | Gaël Monfils Gaël Monfils Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. he was the highest-ranked French tennis player, ranked no. 7 in the world ATP rankings. He was the runner-up at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010 and a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open.-2002:In 2002, Monfils finished 24th at the... |
146 mph (235 km/h) | 2007 Washington |
Dušan Vemic Dušan Vemic Dušan Vemić is a Serbian professional tennis player. He was born on June 17, 1976, in Zadar, in Yugoslavia, now Croatia; he currently lives in Belgrade.-Professional career:... |
2008 Los Angeles | ||
11 | Ričardas Berankis Ricardas Berankis Ričardas Berankis is a Lithuanian professional tennis player. He is the highest ranked Lithuanian tennis player of all time.- Early career :Berankis began playing tennis at the age of two... |
145.4 mph (234 km/h) | 2011 Orleans CH |
14 | Ivan Ljubičić Ivan Ljubicic ----Ivan Ljubičić is a Croatian tennis player born in Bosnia and Herzegovina . His career-high ATP ranking to date has been no. 3, and he stands at no. 37.... |
145 mph (233 km/h) | 2007 Indian Wells |
Andy Murray | 2007 San Jose | ||
16 | Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | 144.2 mph (232 km/h) | 2004 Paris |
Fernando Verdasco Fernando Verdasco Fernando Verdasco Carmona is a professional tennis player. He is currently ranked no. 22 in the world. Verdasco started playing tennis at four years of age and had a full-time coach when he was eight... |
2009 Roland Garros | ||
18 | Mardy Fish Mardy Fish Mardy Simpson Fish is an American professional tennis player, and Olympic silver medalist. He is a hardcourt specialist... |
144 mph (232 km/h) | 2007 Indian Wells |
Marcin Matkowski Marcin Matkowski Marcin Matkowski is a right-handed Polish professional tennis player whose speciality is in doubles. His current partner is Mariusz Fyrstenberg; they have been playing together since 2003, he occasionally plays mixed doubles with Caroline Wozniacki.Matkowski and Fyrstenberg qualified as the eighth... |
2009 World Tour Finals | ||
22 | Martin Verkerk Martin Verkerk Martin Willem Verkerk is a retired Dutch tennis player. As a relatively unknown player, he had a brilliant run at the French Open in 2003, reaching the final before losing to Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero... |
143 mph (230 km/h) | 2003 Milan |
Samuel Groth Samuel Groth Samuel Groth is a professional Australian tennis player. His highest ATP singles ranking is 220, which he reached on 16 November 2009... |
2009 Australian Open | ||
Daniel Brands Daniel Brands Daniel Brands is a German professional tennis player. His career high rank was No. 66, achieved on July 5, 2010.- 2008 :... |
ATP Challenger Heilbronn (he lost the point) | ||
Robin Söderling Robin Söderling Robin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010... |
2010 World Tour Finals | ||
25 | Mark Phillipoussis | 142 mph (229 km/h) | 1997 Scottsdale |
Mikhail Youzhny Mikhail Youzhny Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years.... |
2005 Davis Cup | ||
Ilija Bozoljac Ilija Bozoljac Ilija Bozoljac or Ilia Bozoljac is a professional male tennis player from Serbia.... |
2011 ATP Challenger Heilbronn | ||
26 | Sam Querrey Sam Querrey Sam Austin Querrey is a professional American tennis player from Thousand Oaks, California currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of August 2010, he is the fourth-highest ranked American. His career high rank was #17, achieved on January 31, 2011. His height allows him to play with a strong... |
141 mph (227 km/h) | 2009 Wimbledon |
28 | Fernando González Fernando González ----Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi is a professional tennis player from Chile. He is known for having one of the hardest forehands on the circuit. In Spanish he is called El Bombardero de La Reina and Mano de Piedra... |
140.5 mph (226 km/h) | 2009 French Open |
Tomáš Berdych Tomáš Berdych Tomáš Berdych is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His most notable achievements are reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the semifinals of the 2010 French Open. He defeated the Croatian player Ivan Ljubičić in five sets to win the Paris Masters in 2005... |
2009 French Open | ||
34 | Julian Alonso Julian Alonso Julián Alonso Pintor is a retired tennis player from Catalonia, Spain, who turned professional in 1996 and retired five years later.... |
140 mph (225 km/h) | 1997 Long Island |
Gilles Elseneer Gilles Elseneer Gilles Valere Jacque Elseneer is a professional tennis player on the ATP tour from Belgium. He is mostly known for his grass court game, and has achieved his best results on this surface.... |
2003 Basel | ||
Nicolas Almagro Nicolás Almagro Nicolas Almagro Sanchez Rolle is a professional Spanish tennis player, ranked 10 on the ATP World Tour.-2005:... |
2009 French Open | ||
Marcos Baghdatis Marcos Baghdatis At the French Open, Baghdatis lost in the second round in five sets to Frenchman Julien Benneteau, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6.At Wimbledon, Baghdatis defeated British player Andy Murray in the fourth round in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, Baghdatis beat the 2002 champion and former world no. 1... |
2010 Munich Open | ||
Thiemo de Bakker Thiemo de Bakker Thiemo de Bakker is a Dutch tennis player, who is currently ranked 99th in the world, and is the second ranked Dutch tennis player... |
2010 Halle Open | ||
Feliciano López Feliciano López Feliciano López Diaz-Guerra is a Spanish professional male tennis player. He was born in Toledo and now lives in the Spanish capital Madrid.... |
2010 U.S. Open | ||
- The 153 mph serve by Roscoe Tanner in 1978 is not considered by many as an official record due to the inaccuracy of the equipment used at that time.
- Only a player's fastest serve is recorded here. For example, Andy Roddick has many 140 mph (225 km/h) or better serves but only his personal best of 155 mph (249 km/h) is included.
- All serves must be recorded at or over 140 mph (225 km/h) minimum standard speed. In cases where more than one serve has been recorded at the same speed the serves are ordered from oldest to newest.
Women
Rank | Player | Speed | Event |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Venus Williams Venus Williams Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate... |
129 mph (207.6 km/h) | US Open 2007 |
2 | Serena Williams Serena Williams Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on... |
128 mph (206 km/h) | |French Open 2010 |
3 | Brenda Schultz-McCarthy Brenda Schultz-McCarthy Brenda Anne Marie Schultz-McCarthy is a Dutch tennis player. Primarily known for her maiden name Brenda Schultz, she married Sean McCarthy, a former American football player at University of Cincinnati, on 8 April 1995 and adopted his surname... |
126 mph (202.7 km/h) | Indian Wells 2007 |
4 | Sabine Lisicki Sabine Lisicki Sabine Lisicki is a German professional tennis player of Polish background.Lisicki has won three WTA singles tournaments in her career and one doubles tournament . She reached the semifinals of the 2011 Wimbledon Championships and also reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships... |
125 mph (201.2 km/h) | Stanford 2011 |
5 | Anna-Lena Grönefeld Anna-Lena Grönefeld Anna-Lena Grönefeld is a professional tennis player from Germany. She turned professional in April 2003.As of September 2011, Grönefeld is the No. 12 tennis player from Germany. She was coached and trained by Rafael Font de Mora in Scottsdale, Arizona until 2006... |
125 mph (201.1 km/h) | Indian Wells 2009 |
6 | Ana Ivanovic Ana Ivanovic Ana Ivanović is a former world no. 1 Serbian tennis player. As of November 7, 2011, she is ranked 22th on the WTA rankings. She beat Dinara Safina to win the 2008 French Open and was the runner-up in singles at the 2007 French Open and the 2008 Australian Open... |
124.9 mph (201.0 km/h) | French Open 2007 |
7 | Kristina Mladenovic Kristina Mladenovic Kristina Mladenovic is a French professional tennis player of Serbian background. Her highest WTA singles ranking is 171st, which she reached on 12 April 2010.Kristina was born in Saint-Pol-sur-Mer, Nord department of France... |
124.3 mph (200.0 km/h) | French Open 2009 |
- All serves must be recorded over 200 km/h minimum standard speed.