There are few shots in tennis quite as spectacular as a huge serve. You can spend years perfecting your placement, spin and disguise, but sometimes there really is no substitute for hitting the ball very, very hard.
And the fastest servers in tennis take that to another level.
In this guide, we’ve looked at the fastest tennis serves ever recorded in the men’s and women’s games, along with the fastest second serves, Grand Slam records and the top serving speeds of some of tennis’s biggest names.
But before we get to the records, it helps to understand just how fast a professional tennis serve normally is.
How Fast Is a Professional Tennis Serve?
A typical professional men’s first serve is around 115–120 mph (185–193 km/h), while second serves tend to sit closer to 90–100 mph (145–161 km/h).
On the women’s tour, first serves are more commonly around 100–105 mph (161–169 km/h), with second serves typically around 80–90 mph (129–145 km/h).
Our analysis of Tennis Abstract data for the ATP and WTA top 10 puts the averages at:
| Average 1st Serve | Average 2nd Serve | |
|---|---|---|
| ATP Top 10 | 117.2 mph (188.6 km/h) | 95.8 mph (154.1 km/h) |
| WTA Top 10 | 101.9 mph (164.0 km/h) | 84.3 mph (135.7 km/h) |
Those figures are based on the world’s leading players rather than every professional on tour, but the ATP numbers line up closely with wider Tour data. ATP analysis from 2024 put the men’s Tour averages at 116 mph on first serves and 94 mph on second serves.
We’ll look at the individual player data in much more detail later. For now, those numbers give us a useful benchmark.
What Is the Fastest Tennis Serve Ever Recorded?
The fastest tennis serve ever recorded was hit by Sam Groth at 163.7 mph (263.4 km/h) during the 2012 Busan Open Challenger in South Korea.
To put that into perspective, Groth’s record is around 47 mph faster than the average first serve of the current ATP top 10.
There is an important catch, though.
Because Groth’s serve was recorded at a Challenger event, the measurement doesn’t carry the same recognition as records produced using the standardised equipment used at higher-level tournaments. That’s why you’ll sometimes see John Isner’s 157.2 mph (253 km/h) serve from the 2016 Davis Cup described as the recognised men’s record instead.
That said, Sam Groth has proven his serving ability even on the largest of stages, like the time he hit a 147 mph ace past Roger Federer at Wimbledon 2015. Check it out:
Fastest Men's Tennis Serves Ever Recorded
Sam Groth sits at the top of our list, with Albano Olivetti and John Isner the only other players to have recorded serves beyond 157 mph.
| Rank | Player | Speed | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Groth | 263.4 km/h (163.7 mph) | 2012 Busan Open Challenger |
| 2 | Albano Olivetti | 257.5 km/h (160.0 mph) | 2012 Internazionali Trofeo Lame Perrel–Faip |
| 3 | John Isner | 253.0 km/h (157.2 mph) | 2016 Davis Cup |
| =4 | Ivo Karlović | 251 km/h (156 mph) | 2011 Davis Cup |
| =4 | Jerzy Janowicz | 251 km/h (156 mph) | 2012 Pekao Szczecin Open |
| 6 | Milos Raonic | 249.9 km/h (155.3 mph) | 2012 SAP Open |
| 7 | Andy Roddick | 249.4 km/h (155 mph) | 2004 Davis Cup |
| 8 | Chris Guccione | 248 km/h (154.1 mph) | 2006 Davis Cup |
| =9 | Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard | 246.2 km/h (153 mph) | 2025 Wimbledon |
| =9 | Roscoe Tanner | 246.2 km/h (153 mph) | 1978 American Airlines Tennis Games |
| =11 | Joachim Johansson | 244.6 km/h (152 mph) | 2004 Davis Cup |
| =11 | Feliciano López | 244.6 km/h (152 mph) | 2014 Aegon Championships |
| 13 | Marius Copil | 244 km/h (151.6 mph) | 2016 European Open |
| =14 | Alexei Popyrin | 243 km/h (151 mph) | 2023 Tokyo |
| =14 | Hubert Hurkacz | 243 km/h (151 mph) | 2016 Davis Cup |
| =14 | Oscar Otte | 243 km/h (151 mph) | 2021 US Open |
| 17 | Ben Shelton | 241.4 km/h (150 mph) | 2025 Indian Wells |
| 18 | Taylor Dent | 241 km/h (149.8 mph) | 2006 Rotterdam |
| 19 | Reilly Opelka | 240.3 km/h (149.3 mph) | 2021 Australian Open |
| =20 | Ernests Gulbis | 240 km/h (149.1 mph) | — |
| =20 | Juan Martín del Potro | 240 km/h (149.1 mph) | — |
There are a couple of things worth highlighting here.
Firstly, 150 mph really is exceptional, even among professional players. Ben Shelton reached exactly that mark at Indian Wells in 2025, and yet his opponent, Mariano Navone, somehow got the ball back and eventually won the point.
The same thing happened when Mpetshi Perricard broke the Wimbledon record with a 153 mph serve in 2025. Taylor Fritz managed not only to return it, but to win the rally.
So even hitting a serve at more than 150 mph still doesn’t guarantee you the point.
It’s also worth treating historical comparisons with some caution. Serve-speed measurement hasn’t been completely consistent between tournaments or eras, which is important when comparing older readings and serves recorded at lower-level events.
Fastest Women's Tennis Serves Ever Recorded
The fastest women’s serve ever measured is generally credited to Georgina García Pérez, who hit a 136.7 mph (220 km/h) serve during qualifying for the 2018 Hungarian Ladies Open.
However, that measurement wasn’t produced using the WTA’s recognised serve-speed system, so it is generally classified as an unofficial record. The fastest officially recognised WTA serve is Sabine Lisicki’s 131 mph (210.8 km/h) serve at Stanford in 2014.
| Rank | Player | Speed | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgina García Pérez | 220 km/h (136.7 mph) | 2018 Hungarian Ladies Open qualifying* |
| 2 | Aryna Sabalenka | 214 km/h (133 mph) | 2018 WTA Elite Trophy |
| 3 | Sabine Lisicki | 210.8 km/h (131 mph) | 2014 Stanford Classic |
| =4 | Venus Williams | 207.6 km/h (129 mph) | 2007 US Open |
| =4 | Alycia Parks | 207.6 km/h (129 mph) | 2021 US Open |
| 6 | Serena Williams | 207 km/h (128.6 mph) | 2013 Australian Open |
| =7 | Coco Gauff | 206 km/h (128 mph) | 2022 US Open |
| =7 | Liudmila Samsonova | 206 km/h (128 mph) | 2025 Wimbledon |
| 9 | Naomi Osaka | 205 km/h (127.4 mph) | 2024 Abu Dhabi |
| 10 | Elena Rybakina | 204 km/h (126.8 mph) | 2024 Abu Dhabi |
| =11 | Julia Görges | 203 km/h (126.1 mph) | 2012 French Open |
| =11 | Caroline Garcia | 203 km/h (126.1 mph) | 2016 Fed Cup |
| 13 | Brenda Schultz-McCarthy | 202.7 km/h (126 mph) | 2007 Indian Wells |
| 14 | Nadiia Kichenok | 202 km/h (125.5 mph) | Australian Open |
| =15 | Anna-Lena Grönefeld | 201.1 km/h (125 mph) | 2009 Indian Wells |
| =15 | Lucie Hradecká | 201.1 km/h (125 mph) | 2015 Wimbledon |
| =17 | Ana Ivanovic | 201 km/h (124.9 mph) | 2007 French Open |
| =17 | Denisa Allertová | 201 km/h (124.9 mph) | — |
| 19 | Kristina Mladenovic | 200 km/h (124.3 mph) | 2009 French Open |
| 20 | Li Na | 199 km/h (123.7 mph) | 2010 French Open |
*García Pérez's 220 km/h serve was recorded in qualifying without the WTA's recognised measurement system and is therefore generally treated as an unofficial record.
Women’s serve-speed records are particularly difficult to compile into a definitive historical ranking because the WTA has not measured every serve at every tournament using the same system. Some reported speeds therefore don’t qualify for official recognition even when the reading itself may be genuine.
That distinction is important. It’s why García Pérez can simultaneously hold the highest reported figure while Lisicki’s 131 mph serve remains the recognised WTA benchmark.
What Is the Fastest Second Serve Ever Recorded?
Second-serve records are even trickier.
Tournaments don’t maintain anything approaching a complete historical leaderboard for individual second-serve speeds, so we’d rather give you a shorter list of serves we can actually substantiate than pretend there’s a definitive top 20.
For many years, Ivo Karlović’s 144 mph (232 km/h) second serve at the 2007 Legg Mason Tennis Classic was regarded as the record. Nick Kyrgios came incredibly close at Wimbledon in 2019, blasting a 143 mph second-serve ace against Rafael Nadal. Contemporary reporting described it as the second-fastest second serve in ATP history behind Karlović.
Some of the fastest second serves we’ve been able to verify include:
| Player | Second Serve Speed | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Ivo Karlović | 232 km/h (144.2 mph) | 2007 Washington |
| Milos Raonic | 230 km/h (143 mph) | 2014 Washington |
| Nick Kyrgios | 230 km/h (143 mph) | 2019 Wimbledon |
| Ben Shelton | 230 km/h (143 mph) | 2023 US Open |
| Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard | 228 km/h (142 mph) | 2026 Queen's |
That last serve deserves some context.
Facing match point against Corentin Moutet at Queen’s in 2026, Mpetshi Perricard decided that caution was overrated and hit a 228 km/h (142 mph) second-serve ace. The serve was confirmed in contemporary match reporting and Moutet’s colourful reaction afterwards made it rather difficult to forget.
You’ll also see Mpetshi Perricard widely credited with an even faster 147 mph (237 km/h) second serve at Wimbledon in 2025. That would make it the fastest second serve ever recorded. However, while the figure has made its way into record databases, we’ve been unable to verify the 147 mph reading through contemporary ATP or Wimbledon reporting.
For now, we’d rather put an asterisk next to it than present it as settled fact.
What isn’t in doubt is just how unusual Mpetshi Perricard’s second serve is. During his record-breaking Wimbledon match against Taylor Fritz, he was averaging 122 mph on his second serve when play was suspended – faster than most professional players average on their first.
Fastest Serve at Each Grand Slam
The Grand Slams give us some of the most useful serve-speed records because measurement is generally more consistent and the events attract almost every leading player.
Men's Grand Slam Serve Records
| Grand Slam | Player | Fastest Recorded Serve | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | Marius Copil | 242 km/h (150.4 mph) | 2015 |
| French Open | Fernando Verdasco | 232 km/h (144.2 mph) | 2009 |
| Wimbledon | Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard | 246.2 km/h (153 mph) | 2025 |
| US Open | Oscar Otte | 243 km/h (151 mph) | 2021 |
Mpetshi Perricard owns the biggest figure of the four. His 153 mph serve against Taylor Fritz in 2025 broke Taylor Dent’s previous Wimbledon record of 148 mph by a full five mph.
At the US Open, Oscar Otte reached 151 mph against Lorenzo Sonego in 2021, while Marius Copil’s 242 km/h effort from 2015 is the fastest recorded serve we’ve found at the Australian Open.
The French Open figure is less comprehensively documented than the other three, but Fernando Verdasco was recorded at 232 km/h during the 2009 tournament. Contemporary reporting identified it as the fastest serve of that year’s Roland Garros.
Women's Grand Slam Serve Records
| Grand Slam | Player | Fastest Recorded Serve | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | Serena Williams | 207 km/h (128.6 mph) | 2013 |
| French Open | Julia Görges | 203 km/h (126.1 mph) | 2012 |
| Wimbledon | Venus Williams | 207.6 km/h (129 mph) | 2008 |
| US Open | Venus Williams / Alycia Parks | 207.6 km/h (129 mph) | 2007 / 2021 |
The Williams sisters feature prominently here.
Serena hit 128.6 mph twice during the 2013 Australian Open, while Venus reached 129 mph during the 2008 Wimbledon final – against Serena, naturally.
Venus also reached 129 mph at the 2007 US Open. Fourteen years later, Alycia Parks matched her, giving the pair the joint women’s US Open serve-speed record.
How Fast Do the World's Top Tennis Players Serve?
Record serves are fun, but they’re also outliers.
John Isner didn’t spend his career casually serving at 157 mph, just as Serena Williams wasn’t hitting every first serve at 128 mph.
To understand how fast professional tennis serves really are, it’s much more useful to look at average first and second serve speeds.
We’ve analysed Tennis Abstract serve-speed data for the current ATP and WTA top 10 to give us a useful benchmark.
How Fast Do ATP Top 10 Players Serve?
The current ATP top 10 average approximately 117.2 mph (188.6 km/h) on their first serve and 95.8 mph (154.1 km/h) on their second serve.
| Player | Avg. 1st Serve | Avg. 2nd Serve |
|---|---|---|
| Jannik Sinner | 118.1 mph | 94.5 mph |
| Alexander Zverev | 125.9 mph | 101.4 mph |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 115.1 mph | 96.9 mph |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime | 119.9 mph | 101.2 mph |
| Novak Djokovic | 114.9 mph | 93.7 mph |
| Flavio Cobolli | 109.3 mph | 86.5 mph |
| Alex de Minaur | 113.3 mph | 91.8 mph |
| Daniil Medvedev | 118.3 mph | 94.2 mph |
| Ben Shelton | 117.5 mph | 103.1 mph |
| Taylor Fritz | 119.6 mph | 94.5 mph |
| Top 10 average | 117.2 mph | 95.8 mph |
Source: Tennis Creative calculations using average serve-speed data from Tennis Abstract.
As a useful cross-check, ATP data from 2024 put the wider Tour average at 116 mph for first serves and 94 mph for second serves, so our top-10 figures sit remarkably close.
There are some big differences between individual players, though.
Alexander Zverev leads this particular group for average first-serve speed, while Ben Shelton’s 103.1 mph average second serve is just as difficult to deal with given the kick he gets on it.
And then there’s Mpetshi Perricard, who isn’t part of this top-10 sample. His average figures are on another level again – but we’ll come to those shortly.
How Fast Do WTA Top 10 Players Serve?
Among the current WTA top 10, the average is approximately 101.9 mph (164.0 km/h) for first serves and 84.3 mph (135.7 km/h) for second serves.
| Player | Avg. 1st Serve | Avg. 2nd Serve |
|---|---|---|
| Aryna Sabalenka | 106.6 mph | 90.8 mph |
| Elena Rybakina | 109.3 mph | 89.7 mph |
| Jessica Pegula | 99.2 mph | 81.1 mph |
| Coco Gauff | 105.3 mph | 86.3 mph |
| Mirra Andreeva | 101.3 mph | 81.0 mph |
| Linda Noskova | 100.0 mph | 86.7 mph |
| Karolina Muchova | 100.5 mph | 82.9 mph |
| Iga Świątek | 101.4 mph | 81.1 mph |
| Elina Svitolina | 98.1 mph | 77.0 mph |
| Amanda Anisimova | 97.2 mph | 86.1 mph |
| Top 10 average | 101.9 mph | 84.3 mph |
Source: Tennis Creative calculations using average serve-speed data from Tennis Abstract.
Rybakina’s 109.3 mph average first serve is the standout in this group, while Sabalenka isn’t far behind at 106.6 mph. But these figures also put the women’s record into perspective.
García Pérez’s 136.7 mph serve was around 35 mph faster than the average first serve of the current WTA top 10. That’s not just a big serve. That’s an enormous outlier.
How Fast Do Federer, Nadal, Serena and Other Famous Players Serve?
There’s another problem with looking only at career-best speeds: they don’t necessarily tell us what made someone a great server.
Roger Federer is a perfect example.
His fastest recorded serve is widely listed at 143 mph, yet his average first serve in our Tennis Abstract data is only 115.4 mph. Federer wasn’t routinely overpowering opponents with extraordinary speed. His serve was so difficult to deal with because he combined enough pace with excellent placement, disguise and variety.
To put those career highs into perspective, here’s how the fastest recorded serves of some of the game’s biggest names compare with their average first and second serves.
| Player | Fastest Recorded Serve | Avg. 1st Serve | Avg. 2nd Serve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard | 153 mph* | 125.1 mph | 115.8 mph |
| John Isner | 157.2 mph | 124.4 mph | 109.4 mph |
| Andy Roddick | 155 mph | 123.5 mph | 106.3 mph |
| Nick Kyrgios | 143 mph | 121.2 mph | 101.7 mph |
| Jannik Sinner | 139 mph† | 118.1 mph | 94.5 mph |
| Roger Federer | 143 mph | 115.4 mph | 96.3 mph |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 136 mph+† | 115.1 mph | 96.9 mph |
| Novak Djokovic | 136 mph | 114.9 mph | 93.7 mph |
| Andy Murray | 145 mph | 114.1 mph | 87.5 mph |
| Rafael Nadal | 135 mph | 112.2 mph | 92.5 mph |
| Elena Rybakina | 126.8 mph | 109.3 mph | 89.7 mph |
| Serena Williams | 128.6 mph | 106.0 mph | 88.1 mph |
| Coco Gauff | 128 mph | 105.3 mph | 86.3 mph |
| Venus Williams | 129 mph | 104.5 mph | 81.9 mph |
| Naomi Osaka | 127.4 mph | 103.5 mph | 80.9 mph |
| Maria Sharapova | 121 mph | 99.9 mph | 91.4 mph |
Average speeds: Tennis Abstract. Career-high speeds are the fastest recorded figures we've been able to substantiate.
*Mpetshi Perricard is also widely credited with a 147 mph second serve at Wimbledon 2025, but we've kept his verified 153 mph first-serve record as the career-high figure here.
†For Sinner and Alcaraz, these are the fastest figures we've been able to verify from official tournament data rather than necessarily definitive career maximums.
Roger Federer's Fastest Serve
Roger Federer’s fastest recorded serve is 143 mph (230 km/h), widely attributed to the 2010 Gerry Weber Open in Halle.
What’s more revealing is that Federer averaged 115.4 mph on his first serve and 96.3 mph on his second in our Tennis Abstract data.
That helps explain why Federer belongs in any conversation about great servers despite being nowhere near the top of the all-time speed rankings. The danger came from how difficult it was to read where the ball was going, combined with his placement, variety and ability to use the serve to take control of the next shot.
Rafael Nadal's Fastest Serve
Rafael Nadal’s fastest recorded serve was 135 mph (217 km/h) at the 2010 US Open against Feliciano López. Contemporary reporting described Nadal as serving faster than ever after making a small change to his grip.
That’s particularly interesting alongside his 112.2 mph average first-serve speed.
Nadal’s career-high is almost 23 mph faster than that average, showing just how unusual his serving performance in New York was. He didn’t need to serve at 135 mph throughout his career to be effective; his left-handed spin, placement and ability to use the serve to create forehand opportunities were far more important.
Novak Djokovic's Fastest Serve
Novak Djokovic’s fastest widely reported serve is 136 mph (219 km/h) from the 2009 Madrid Masters.
His average figures (114.9 mph on first serve and 93.7 mph on second) again show why maximum speed doesn’t tell us much about the quality of a player’s service game.
As Djokovic’s career developed, his serve became an increasingly efficient way of starting points on his terms rather than simply an attempt to hit through opponents.
Serena Williams' Fastest Serve
Serena Williams’ fastest recorded serve was 128.6 mph (207 km/h) at the 2013 Australian Open.
And it wasn’t a one-off radar glitch: she hit that exact speed twice during the tournament, against Garbiñe Muguruza and Ayumi Morita.
Her average figures of 106 mph on first serve and 88.1 mph on second serve show that Serena had considerably more pace available when she wanted it.
But, like Federer, reducing Serena’s serve to speed misses much of what made it so effective. Her repeatable motion, accuracy and ability to hit different locations from a similar ball toss made the shot far more dangerous than the radar gun alone suggests.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard's Serve Is in a Different Category
If one set of numbers demonstrates how extreme modern serving can get, it’s Mpetshi Perricard’s. Our Tennis Abstract data has him averaging 125.1 mph on first serve and 115.8 mph on second serve.
Remember that our current ATP top 10 average 117.2 mph on their first serves. That means Mpetshi Perricard’s average second serve is only around 1.4 mph slower than the average first serve of a top-10 men’s player.
And individual tournaments can be even more extreme. During his 2025 Wimbledon match against Taylor Fritz, ATP data had him averaging 137 mph on first serve and 122 mph on second before the match was suspended for the night.
That’s absurd serving whichever way you look at it.
Does a Faster Serve Make You a Better Server?
Not necessarily.
The fastest servers have an obvious advantage: the less time the returner has to react, the harder it becomes to make a controlled return.
But the numbers we’ve looked at throughout this article show why serve speed and serve quality aren’t the same thing.
Federer is perhaps the clearest example. His average first serve speed isn’t particularly remarkable compared with today’s biggest servers, yet his serve was one of the foundations of his game.
A great serve combines several things:
- Speed to reduce the returner’s reaction time.
- Placement to move the returner or take the racket out of their hands.
- Spin to create different trajectories and bounces.
- Disguise so the returner can’t anticipate the direction.
- Consistency so you can actually rely on it under pressure.
- Variety so the returner can’t settle into a predictable pattern.
There’s also the shot that follows.
A serve doesn’t have to be an ace to do its job. If it forces a weak return that lets you attack with the next ball, it’s already created an advantage.
That’s particularly relevant for recreational players. Chasing another 10 mph isn’t necessarily going to improve your service games if it comes at the expense of your first-serve percentage or your ability to hit your targets.
The numbers at the very top of the serve-speed rankings are difficult to comprehend.
Sam Groth’s 163.7 mph record is almost 47 mph faster than the average first serve of a current ATP top-10 player. Georgina García Pérez’s 136.7 mph effort is around 35 mph faster than the equivalent WTA top-10 average.
But perhaps the most interesting thing we’ve found while putting these numbers together is how little a player’s fastest serve tells us about the quality of their serve as a whole.
Federer averaged around 115 mph on his first serve. Nadal averaged around 112 mph. Neither comes particularly close to the biggest servers we’ve looked at, yet both built hugely effective service games.
At the other end of the scale, players like Isner, Roddick and now Mpetshi Perricard show just how much of a weapon outright speed can become when it’s combined with placement, height and a repeatable motion.
So while the radar gun will always grab our attention, the lesson for the rest of us is probably a little less exciting:
The best serve isn’t necessarily the fastest one. It’s the one your opponent struggles to return.
