Tennis isn’t a sport that only works out your body, it is a great tool for working out the mind too. Researchers claim that as little as fifteen minutes on the court can reduce stress levels by a significant number. It’s not surprising when you think about just how hard one can whack a ball on the court. Here is a list of some of the fastest serves ever delivered in tennis history.
Anna Kournikova
Who could forget the “Britney Spears” of tennis? She rocked the 90’s and early 2000’s with more than many of us could handle. She also served up her quickest serve at 179 km /h (111.2 mph) during the Paris Indoors of 1998. Did we mention that her highest WTA rank was number 8 back in 2000?
Anna Kournikova
Angelique Kerber
Angelique Kerber was born in Germany in 1988 and found her passion for tennis at a young age. She served her quickest serve at 162 km /h (101 mph). Even though she ranks at 21st place in singles in the world right now, she was once the world number one, in 2016. She has won two Grand Slam titles.
Angelique Kerber
Tsvetana Pironkova
The Bulgarian-born tennis pro has won almost $5 million in prize money. Now if that hasn’t impressed you enough, let’s take a look at another interesting fact. She has served her quickest (and probably most intimidating) serve at 112 mph (181 km/h).
Tsvetana Pironkova
Mandy Minella
Born in Luxembourg, Mandy Minella started playing tennis at age 5. She impressed the world with her quickest serve of 103 mph (165 km/h) in 2016. She became a mom in 2017, and had the whole world trying to get pictures of her new baby.
Mandy Minella
Dominika Cibulkova
The 28-year-old Slovakian tennis star is known for her quick and aggressive style. It is with this style that she has raked up more than $11.5 million dollars in prize money. She has also achieved her quickest serve at 103 mph (165 km/h).
Dominika Cibulkova
Maria Kirilenko
Fans have been uncertain about Maria Kirilenko’s tennis future since she has taken an indefinite break since 2015. Kirilenko served one of the fastest serves of any female tennis player, at 113 mph (188 km/h). Her highest ranking was number 10 in singles and number 4 in doubles.
Maria Kirilenko
Daniela Hantuchova
Wouldn’t it be incredible to have $10 million in prize money? The fact is that you would have to achieve quite a heap of greatness first. Daniela Hantuchova is a prime example of doing just that as she has won four Grand Slam Mixed Doubles titles. She has also served a lightning-fast serve of 109 mph (175 km/h). Did you know that she speaks four languages fluently and another two quite well?
Daniela Hantuchova
Caroline Wozniacki
Caroline Wozniacki turned a lot of heads when she stuffed some items into bra and skirt to mock her opponent, Serena Williams. It was all in good taste though, and the two stars shared the joke in good spirits. She also managed to turn heads when she sent a speedy serve of 106 mph (171 km/h).
Caroline Wozniacki
Camila Giorgi
This 25-year-old Italian tennis player shocked the world when she defeated Caroline Wozniacki, Maria Sharapova, and Victoria Azarenka, who were all number one tennis stars. Interestingly enough, she has won more games against top 10 players than she has lost. Despite her small size, she has also managed to surprise us with her strong serves, like her best of 116 mph (186 km/h).
Camila Giorgi
Elina Svitolina
Okay, granted she may not have the fastest serve of all time (98 mph (108 km/h)), but she definitely needs to be mentioned. The young 23-year-old Ukrainian has already taken home more than $7 million worth of prize money and has climbed to 7th position on the world charts.
Elina Svitolina
Sorana Cirstea
Currently, Sorana Cirstea is ranked at 37, but back in 2013 she made her way all the way up to 21. Making major appearances like at the quarterfinals of the French Open and the final of the Rogers Cup, has made her a player to watch. The Romanian player has served her quickest serve at 107 mph (172 km/h).
Sorana Cirstea
Laura Robson
Can you believe that it has almost been 10 years since young Laura Robson went pro? Yeah, neither can we. Do you remember when just at the age of 14 she won the Wimbledon Junior Girls’ Championship? Do you remember when she served her fastest serve of 113 mph (181 km/h)?
Laura Robson
Maria Sharapova
One of the most synonymous names with tennis is Maria Sharapova. She has won 5 Grand Slam Singles titles and a vast amount of other tournaments. She served her fastest serve at 102 mph (164 km/h). Sharapova ranked in at 1st place worldwide in 2005.
Maria Sharapova
Eugenie Bouchard
Canadian-born tennis sensation, Eugenie Bouchard made her way up to 4th place in the world ranking in 2014. Bouchard won the 2012 Wimbledon girls’ title and also served her quickest serve of 101 mph (162 km/h).
Eugenie Bouchard
Sania Mirza
When it comes to Grand Slams, Sania Mirza knows all about them. She has won 3 doubles and 3 mixed double titles during her career. She has also served a fast 108 mph (173 km/h) serve.
Sania Mirza
Kristina Mladenovic
24-year-old French tennis star, Kristina Mladenovic happily resides in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates now. She made her fame by reaching her tennis best of number 10 on the world’s singles charts. During the 2009 French Open, she served the 14th fastest serve of any female player at 200.0 km/h (124.3 mph). I would not want to be on the receiving end of that serve.
Kristina Mladenovic
Dominic Thiem
The right-handed Austrian tennis player went pro back in 2011 when he was just 18 years old. He has successfully claimed 8 single titles on the ATP Tour. He is also noted as one of the fastest servers of male tennis when he served at 232 km/h (144 mph) during the 2017 Gerry Weber Open.
Dominic Thiem
Denisa Allertová
All the way from the Czech Republic, Denisa Allertová turned heads when she beat the former women’s number one tennis star, Ana Ivanovic. Her current world rank is 107, but her highest was 55 in 2016. She has served the 13th fastest serve by a female tennis player, at 201.0 km/h (124.9 mph) at the 2015 Australian Open.
Denisa Allertová
Marcin Matkowski
I know what you’re thinking – “Is 36 years old too old to be making this list?” Well the answer is “definitely not!” Marcin Matkowski came to tennis from Poland and has made his name well-known by his skills in doubles. He also impressed fans during the 2009 ATP World Tour Finals when he served a speedy ball of 232 km/h (144 mph).
Marcin Matkowski
Ana Ivanovic
How could anyone look past Ana Ivanovic? Not only was she the world number one in 2008, she has claimed more titles than you have fingers. Well, that’s only ten. She really made a name for herself during the 2004 Zurich Open when she narrowly defeated Venus Williams. She also made history as the 12th fastest female server with a serve of 201.0 km/h (124.9 mph) at the 2007 French Open.
Ana Ivanovic
Fernando Verdasco
Some start young, and some start really young! Fernando Verdasco started playing tennis when he was only four years old and unbelievably had a full-time coach from the age of eight. In April 2009 he ranked as the world’s number 7. He makes our list due to his lightning-fast serve at the 2009 French Open of 232 km/h (144 mph).
Fernando Verdasco
Anna Lena Grönefeld
Anna Lena Grönefeld is a German tennis player who turned professional in 2003. She experienced all the ups and downs of a true athlete, even leading her to consider quitting in 2007, and boy oh boy are we glad that she didn’t. In 2009 she competed in the 2009 Indian Wells Masters and served the 11th fastest female serve at 201.1 km/h (125.0 mph).
Anna Lena Grönefeld
Mardy Fish
Mardy Fish was an American tennis star who retired in 2015 after having reached his highest ranking of number 7 in the world. At the 2007 Pacific Life Open he served a ball at 232 km/h (144 mph) matching him to three other famous tennis stars, all of whom can be found on this list.
Mardy Fish
Lucie Hradecká
The Czech Republic can be proud of their star tennis player Lucie Hradecká. Not only has she won 19 WTA doubles titles and two Grand Slam titles, but she has also served the 10th fastest serve by a female tennis player. She served at 201.2 km/h (125.0 mph) during the 2015 Wimbledon.
Lucie Hradecká
Viktor Troicki
Serbian Viktor Troicki got the world’s attention at the Kremlin Cup in 2010 when he won his first ATP title. In 2015 and 2016, he won his second and third ATP titles at the Apia International Sydney. He also impressed the world at the 2017 Davis Cup when served a ball at 233 km/h (145 mph).
Viktor Troicki
Naomi Osaka
Tied with Lucie Hradecká of the Czech Republic as the 10th fastest female tennis server, Japanese star Naomi Osaka served at 201.2 km/h (125.0 mph) at the 2016 US Open. Osaka however claims the rank of 9th since she made the feat before her Czech counterpart.
Naomi Osaka
Reilly Opelka
Most people will know this tennis star by his towering height of 6 ft 11 inches. But what many people don’t know is that he was a junior Wimbledon champion. What most people don’t know is that he has served one of the fastest tennis serves ever, with a speed of 233 km/h (145 mph) at the 2016 U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships.
Reilly Opelka
Nadiia Kichenok
She may not be the first tennis star to pair up with her sister, but she and her sister Lyudmyla Kichenok, are twins – now that’s new! Nadiia was born in Ukraine in 1992 and has won three WTA doubles titles, two of which were shared with her twin sister. What she didn’t share with her twin however, was the 8th fastest serve by a female tennis player at 202.0 km/h (125.5 mph). She achieved this at the 2014 Australian Open.
Nadiia Kichenok
Grigor Dimitrov
Just recently, Grigor Dimitrov made headlines when he won the 2017 ATP Finals. This win brought the Bulgarian tennis star to the impressive rank of world number 3 in ATP singles. Maybe his super quick serve of 233 km/h (145 mph) at the 2013 Aegon Championships wasn’t as impressive, but it’s still worth a mention.
Grigor Dimitrov
Brenda Schultz McCarthy
A sports fanatic who married a sports fanatic. Former Dutch tennis pro, Brenda Schultz married Sean McCarthy, a former American football player. Before she retired in 2008, she had ranked as the world’s number 7 in 1995. She also served the 7th fastest serve as a female tennis player at 202.7 km/h (126.0 mph) during the 2007 Indian Wells Masters.
Brenda Schultz McCarthy
Ivan Ljubičić
The Croatian tennis star who won the Davis Cup in 2005 now lives in Monaco after he retired from pro tennis in April 2012. With 10 career titles and his highest ranking of world number 3 in 2006, it’s no surprise that he was capable of serving a pacey 233 km/h (145 mph) at the 2007 Pacific Life Open.
Ivan Ljubičić
Caroline Garcia
The French-born tennis star turned heads in 2011 when she went pro. She really made an impression when she slammed a serve that would rank her as the fifth fastest server in women’s tennis. At a speed of 203.0 km/h (126.1 mph), she tied with German player, Julia Görges.
Caroline Garcia
Stan Wawrinka
Maybe its his friends and us who call him “Stan”, because his full name is actually “Stanislas”. The Swiss tennis champion has won 3 Grand Slam singles titles and reached his all-time high rank of number 3 on the ATP’s chart in 2014. Stan also blew spectators away when he served at 234 km/h (145.5 mph) at the 2014 Davis Cup.
Stan Wawrinka
Julia Görges
28-year-old Julia Görges served an impressive hand during the 2012 French Open with a speed of 203.0 km/h (126.1 mph). That hasn’t been her only claim to fame. On the WTA Tour, she won three singles and four doubles titles. Additionally she has won six singles and six doubles titles on the ITF circuit.
Julia Görges
Ričardas Berankis
Ričardas Berankis is the only Lithuanian tennis player to enter the ATP top 100 which in turn makes him the highest ranking Lithuanian star of all time. His fast-paced serve at the 2011 Open d’Orléans of 234 km/h (145.5 mph) ranks him among the fastest 25 servers of all time.
Ričardas Berankis
Serena Williams
Serena Williams is arguably one of the most famous faces of tennis, whether you’re a fan or not. She has made fame many times, one example is when the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) ranked her as the number 1 singles champion in the world on 8 different occasions. She served at 206.4 km/h (128.3 mph) during the 2013 Australian Open, making her the 4th fastest female tennis server.
Serena Williams
Marin Čilić
Croatia can be proud of the tennis champion who brought his country honor on more than one occasion. Marin Čilić has won 17 ATP singles titles and achieved the rank of number 4 in the world in October 2017. One year earlier at the 2016 Davis Cup he served at 235 km/h (146 mph) making him the 23rd fastest server in the world.
Marin Čilić
Ivana Jorović
Born in Serbia in 1997, Ivana Jorović is still a young and upcoming tennis player. But don’t be fooled by her age, she is already an all-star athlete. She successfully served at 207 km/h (129 mph) during the 2017 Fed Cup – which is still running into next month – which ranked her as the 3rd fastest female server.
Ivana Jorović
Dušan Vemić
Even though Dušan Vemić retired from being a tennis player in 2011, he has continued as a tennis coach. His coaching skills brought Andrea Petkovic to the WTA rank of number 9. He was known for his fast serves and made his mark when he served at 235 km/h (146 mph) at the 2008 Countrywide Classic making him the 22nd fastest server ever.
Dušan Vemić
Venus Williams
Older sister of Serena Williams, Venus made history way before she served the second fastest serve by a woman at 207.6 km/h (129.0 mph) at the 2007 US Open. She has achieved seven Grand Slam singles titles as well as being ranked number one by the WTA on 3 different occasions.
Venus Williams
Gaël Monfils
French tennis player Gaël Sébastien Monfils ranked as the ATP’s number 6 in November 2016. As a junior tennis star, he won 83 matches to 22 losses which brought him to the combined world ranking of number 1 in 2004. At the 2007 Legg Mason Tennis Classic he became the 21st fastest server with a serve of 235 km/h (146 mph).
Gaël Monfils
Sabine Lisicki
The fastest served performed by a woman was by German tennis star, Sabine Lisicki, at the 2014 Stanford Classic event. The speed her serve clocked was 210.8 km/h (131.0 mph). For a time, Lisicki held the record for the most aces in a single match by striking 27! Her record was surpassed by Kristýna Plíšková at the 2016 Australian Open.
Sabine Lisicki
Jo Wilfried Tsonga
Currently, the French tennis professional is ranked at 15th in the men’s singles category by the Association of Tennis Professionals. His highest ranking was 5th back in February 2012. He was also recognized as the 20th fastest server during the 2014 Rogers Cup when he shot one out at 236.6 km/h (147 mph).
Jo Wilfried Tsonga
Dmitry Tursunov
Originally from Russia, Dmitry Tursunov came to the Unite States at the age of 12 in order to further his tennis practice, and eventually become the tennis star he is today. He holds 7 singles career titles as well as 7 doubles career titles. He is noted as the 19th fastest server in tennis with thanks to his serve of 236.6 km/h (147 mph) during the 2006 Davis Cup.
Dmitry Tursunov
Colin Dibley
The former Australian tennis star once held the record as the fastest tennis server of all time at 238 km/h (147.9 mph). However, over the years there have been others who have snatched up his record and pushed him down to 18th place.
Colin Dibley
Peter Luczak
Another retired Australian star who has made our list is Peter Luczak. The world got to meet him in 2000 when he went pro only to say goodbye when he retired in 2016. He is noted with winning gold during the doubles championship at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games. He is also noted with serving the 17th fastest serve in tennis at 238 km/h (147.9 mph) at the 2010 Wimbledon competition.
Peter Luczak
Greg Rusedski
Most fans will remember Greg Rusedski as the winner of the Grand Slam in 1999. He also made headlines when in 1997, he made it to the US Open as a finalist and received the title of BBC Sports Personality of the Year and the ITV Sports Champion of the Year. He can also be remembered as the man who served the 16th fastest tennis serve at 239.8 km/h (149 mph) during the 1998 Newsweek Champions Cup.
Greg Rusedski
Juan Martín Del Potro
The professional Argentinian tennis player is currently ranked at number 11 in men’s singles in the world. He won the US Open in 2009, bringing him his first Grand Slam title. Just recently at the 2017 Stockholm Open, he clocked 240 km/h (149.1 mph) with a serve that made him the 15th fastest server in tennis history.
Juan Martín Del Potro
Ernests Gulbis
Reigning from Latvia, Ernests Gulbis started training professionally at the ripe young age of only 12 years. His highest ever world ranking is 130 as of November 2009. He won his first ATP Tour doubles title at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships. He has also served the 14th fastest tennis serve at 240.3 km/h (149.3 mph) in 2007 during the St. Petersburg Open.
Ernests Gulbis
Taylor Dent
36-year-old Taylor Dent is now retired back home in America, but before he took off from tennis he was setting records. One such time was during the 2006 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament when he served at an incredible speed of 241.1 km/h (149.8 mph). This made him the 13th fastest server of all time.
Taylor Dent
Hubert Hurkacz
Young Polish tennis player, Hubert Hurkacz, is still climbing the ladder of sporting success as he is only 20 years old. His greatest feat could have been in 2015 when he reached the final of the boys’ doubles at the Australian Open in 2015. It could also have been when he ranked 12th fastest server with a speedy ball at the 2016 Davis Cup which flew at 243 km/h (151 mph).
Hubert Hurkacz
Marius Copil
Romanian-born tennis great, Marius Copil proudly reached number 77 on the international singles chart and still holds this title today. He also successfully served at 244 km/h (152 mph) during the 2016 European Open which makes him the world’s 11th fastest server.
Marius Copil
Feliciano López
Left-handed Feliciano López became the first Spanish player since 1972 to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2005. He really impressed the world when he won his first Grand Slam title at the 2016 French Open. He also achieved great success when he ranked 12th in singles in 2015. His fastest serve is recorded as the 10th fastest serve at 245 km/h (152 mph) during the 2014 Aegon Championships.
Feliciano López
Joachim Johansson
Joachim Johansson came to the international tennis stage from Sweden and saw progress all the way through to his retirement in 2011. He made it to the semifinals of the 2004 US Open, won 3 singles titles and achieved a singles ranking of World No. 9 in 2005. During the 2004 Davis Cup he served tennis’ 9th fastest serve at 245 km/h (152 mph).
Joachim Johansson
Roscoe Tanner
The tall American left-hander was well-known for his alarmingly quick serves during his glory days in the 1970’s. His quickest serve of 246 km/h (153 mph) during the 1978 American Airlines Tennis Games still sits on the top 10 list of fastest serves in tennis history at number 8.
Roscoe Tanner
Andy Roddick
Born in Austin Texas, tall Andy Roddick won the Grand Slam singles title during the 2003 US Open and shortly after made it as the number 1 singles player in the world. Months later during the 2004 Davis Cup, he served the 7th quickest serve ever at 249 km/h (155 mph).
Andy Roddick
Milos Raonic
Even though Raonic plays as a Canadian national, not many people know that he was actually born in former Yugoslavia. He made his highest singles career ranking at number 3 in November 2016. He is also noted to have served the 6th fastest serve in tennis at 250 km/h (155.3 mph) while playing at the 2012 Rogers Cup.
Milos Raonic
Jerzy Janowicz
Jerzy Janowicz dominates the court when plays at a towering 6 ft and 8 inches. He also displays his power through serves so fast that one of them even reached 251 km/h (156 mph) at the 2012 Pekao Szczecin Open. His pacey serve ranked as the world’s 5th fastest. Polish President Bronisław Komorowski awarded him with the Gold Cross of Merit in 2013 for his sporting achievements.
Jerzy Janowicz
Ivo Karlović
Even though Ivo Karlović served at the same speed of 251 km/h (156 mph) as Jerzy Janowicz, Karlović maintains the record as the 4th fastest server in world tennis. The reason being that Karlović broke the record first, in 2011 at the 2011 Davis Cup.
Ivo Karlović
John Isner
Currently ranked at 17th place in men’s singles, he has moved from his highest ranking of 9th which he achieved in April 2012. He holds the record for the 4th most aces in ATP history with more than 8,800 aces. He has also served the 3rd fastest serve at 253 km/h (157.2 mph) which happened at the 2016 Davis Cup.
John Isner
Albano Olivetti
Albano Olivetti was born in Haguenau, France in November, 1991. He went professional in 2010 and has taken part in many tennis competitions both in France and abroad. The right-hander is best know for having served the second fastest serve of all-time at 257.5 km/h (160 mph) during the 2012 Internazionali Trofeo Lame Perrel–Faip.
Albano Olivetti
Tennis’ Fastest Server
Sam Groth shocked the world in 2012 at the ATP Challenger in Busan, South Korea. It was there that he served the fastest serve in recorded tennis history. The serve fired the ball at 263 km/h (163.4 mph). He is listed as the fastest server ever.
Tennis’ Fastest Server