Top 11 Fastest Tennis Serves (Ever Recorded)

If you ask me or anyone who loves tennis, 90% will tell you that tennis serves are one of the key features of tennis that makes it more attractive. What’s attractive about the serves? Well, the speed! 

We all enjoy flashy stuff, and tennis serve is a prime example of that. The faster the service, the harder it is to counter, and the more enjoyable it is to watch. 

In this article, that’s all I’m going to talk about. So put on your seat belts, because you’ll be looking at the top 11 fastest tennis serves in history.

How to Measure Your Own Serve Speed?

If you want to improve your serve speed, then you must know your limits first. The limit of yours is the fastest serve that you can pull off right now. If you want to improve in tennis, you need to push beyond it. 

However, it can be quite challenging as many of us do not have the right equipment to measure our serve speed. 

No worries, I have the right thing for you.

What you need is the Pocket Radar Smart Coach system. This is essentially a radar gun that can measure valuable metrics such as pitching speed, exit velocity, shooting speed, and serving speed. 

The best part about this device is that you can control it remotely with an iOS or Android smartphone, and this makes it even better.

Another amazing feature of this device is that it allows you to record videos, and the videos will also contain information about the serve speed. This will act as a visual guide as you’ll be able to understand which stance helps you get a faster serve.

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Top 11 Fastest Tennis Serves in History

1. Sam Groth

Sam Groth broke through all imagination back in 2012 when he served at a dazzling speed of 263km/h! This 6ft. 4inch giant broke all previous records and set one that’s hard to beat. He did the impossible.

Sam Groth is an Australian player, and his highest ATP Singles ranking was 53 in the entire world, and that was back in 2015. This player performed even better in doubles with a ranking of 24. 

The record he made was back in the Busan Open back in 2012. However, it’s to be mentioned that this record isn’t recognized by the ATP.

2. Albano Olivetti

Albano Olivetti is a French professional tennis player who once served at a speed of 160mp/h. Even though there aren’t many things to talk about his career, I’ll focus on the glory he achieved. 

Back in 2012, Albano had qualified for the main ATP event. It was his first time, and he passed right through the qualifiers. This prodigy had Mardy Fish beat, who was the world’s No. 8 at that time. 

Upon reaching the quarterfinals, Albano was defeated by Michaël Llodra, and the match was very close. 

It was the same year in which Albano had served his fastest, and it was in the first round of the 2012 Internazionali Trofeo Lame Perrel–Faip. 

However, just like the previous one, this one too isn’t recorded or recognized by ATP.

3. John Isner

John Isner hails from Dallas, Texas, and this 6-feet 10-inch tall tennis player holds the record of serving at 253km/h. I know that you were expecting him on this list, and here he is securing third place. 

What’s truly special about this tennis player is that he’s consistent with these killer deliveries. Every time you tune into a Grand Slam tournament, you’ll find that Isner is dropping bombs now and then. 

This is why it’s not surprising at all that he landed in third place from the top. 

What’s more is that, unlike the previous two serves, this one is actually recognized by ATP. This makes it the fastest serve in the world officially. 

4. Ivo Karlovic & Jerzy Janowicz

This spot is held combinedly by Ivo Karlovic & Jerzy Janowicz, and they managed to serve at a blinding speed of 251 km/h. 

Ivo Karlovic hails from Croatia, and this 6’11” professional tennis player has won around eight ATP titles in a timespan of only 10 years. In fact, he’s one of the tallest tennis players in history, a title that’s shared with Reilly Opelka. 

When Ivo was at his prime, he was considered to be one of the best servers in the circuit, which is why it’s no surprise to see him in fourth place on this list. 

Jerzy is a Polish tennis player, and he has been playing tennis since he was five. Even though he hasn’t won any title till now, he managed to achieve the highest rank of 14 back in 2013. He was also awarded the Gold Cross of Merit by the Polish authority. 

5. Milos Raonic & Andy Roddick

The fifth place is again combinedly secured by Andy Roddick & Milos Raonic. Canadian player Milos Raonic had served at a speed of 250km/h back in 2012. This 6’5” has managed to reach such speed in Rogers Cup, and it was a sight to behold. 

Then there’s Andy Roddick. This 6’2” tennis player hails from the USA, and he managed to pull this off in the 2004 Davis Cup. 

Andy Roddick had become the world’s number 1 tennis player back in 2003 after winning the 2003 US Open.

6. Joachim Johansson & Feliciano Lopez

The sixth place is again jointly secured by Joachim Johansson & Feliciano Lopez. While Joachim is a professional tennis player from Sweden, Feliciano hails from Spain. 

Both of them have made the record of serving at a speed of 244.6km/h. For Joachim, it was the 2004 Davis Cup. Other than this, he also holds the record for most aces served in one match, where he had aced 51 times. This record was made in the fourth round of the 2005 Australian Open. 

Feliciano Lopez had managed to secure his place in the sixth place of this list back in 2014, and it was the Aegon Championships. Feliciano also managed to achieve the highest ranking of No. 12 back in March of 2015. 

7. Marius Copil

This Romanian tennis player managed to serve at a speed of 244 km/h. He managed to pull this feat off in the European Open of 2016. Marius also managed to perform consistently in all of the famous championships and opens. 

8. Hubert Hurkacz

Hubert Hurkacz is a 6’5” tennis player from Poland. Back in the Davis Cup of 2016, he managed to serve at a speed of 243km/h, and this got him to eighth place on this list. 

Hubert has been playing tennis since he was a kid, and he had managed to reach the Australian Open boys’ doubles finals back in 2015. In fact, he’s ranked as the No.1 Polish tennis player now. 

9. Taylor Dent

Taylor Dent holds the record of serving at a speed of 241.4km/h, which places him right after Hubert Hurkacz. This 6’5” giant stunned the world with this amazing service back in the SAP Open of 2010. 

Taylor Dent has retired from tennis. In his prime, he held the world ranking of 21, and he had won four singles titles so far. 

10. Juan Martin Del Potro

Juan Martin Del Potro holds the record of serving at a speed of 240km/h, falling only a km/h short of Taylor Dent. This service was recorded back in 2007 at the St. Petersburg Open. This 6’6” Argentine tennis player has a World rank of 128 in men’s singles right now. 

The brightest moment in his career was perhaps when he had defeated Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer back in the 2009 US Open. In fact, he’s the fifth-youngest man and the second Argentine to win the US Open. 

Even though he’s way past the 100 rankings at this moment, this player had achieved a world rank of no. 4 back in January 2010 from ATP. In August of the same year, he had gained the third rank in the whole world, which is definitely a great feat. 

11. Greg Rusedski

Last but definitely not least, we have Greg Rusedski. Greg holds the 11^th position with a service that he delivered at 239.8km/h. He had pulled this off back in 1998, and it was at the Newsweek Champions Cup. 

This British-Canadian player was the British No. 1, World No. 4 according to ATP. He was also the finalist in the US Open of 1997.

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Final Words

Serve speeds aren’t all there is to tennis, but these certainly are one of the most important factors. A perfect serve can get you the ace you seek, and this is why I inspire all aspirants to improve their serve speed.

Take inspiration from the aforementioned fastest tennis serves and use the guidance from the Pocket Radar Smart Coach. This combination will surely help you succeed.