Top 10 fastest serves in tennis history (WTA Recognised)

An excellent serve is one of the biggest weapons any tennis player can have. So, let's have a look at the fastest serves in tennis history.

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Pritha Ghosh
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Big-serving players have benefited throughout tennis history. One of the most advanced weaponry a tennis player may have is a powerful, well-placed first serve. While most professionals can put the ball anywhere they want, only a few are capable of reaching speeds in the upper 140s and also the 150s. However, We'll limit ourselves to WTA recognized fastest serves in tennis history for the applications of this top ten. Therefore, without any further ado, let us dive right into the topic.

10. Kristina Mladenovic (124.3 mph)

Kristina Mladenovic | Tennis News | Sportzpoint.com

Source: Sky Sports

24-year-old French tennis star, Kristina Mladenovic 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 10th fastest serve of any female player at 200.0 km/h (124.3 mph).

9. Ana Ivanovic (124.9 mph)

Though she may have won more accolades for her beauty than singles titles, former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic is an aggressive tennis player with one of the fastest serves in the women's game who has fought her way back up the rankings after a dramatic fall from grace in 2009. However, her biggest asset, which is her serve, landed her in our list of fastest serves in tennis history. Her fastest serve came in 2007 French Open final where she eventually lost to seven-time Grand Slam champion Justine Hennin. The serve consisted of a speed of 124.9 mph.

Read more: Top 10 fastest serves in Tennis history (ATP recognised)

8. Anna-Lena Groenefeld (125.0mph)

Anna-Lena Groenefeld | Tennis News | Sportzpoint.com

Source: WTA

The 8th place in our list of fastest serves in tennis history is held by the 5' 11" German, who hit a 125-m.p.h. serve at Indian Wells in 2009 but fell to Amelie Mauresmo in the second round, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. Groenefeld was a great singles player who retired at the end of 2019. She reached No. 14 in singles, but she was considerably more successful in doubles, reaching No. 7 there.

7. Naomi Osaka and Lucie Hradecka (125.0mph)

Naomi Osaka | fastest serves in tennis history | Tennis News | Sportzpoint.com

Osaka and Hradecka are only.1 km/h faster than Groenefeld. The Czech hit her enormous rocket on her very last serve in a 6-3, 6-2 loss to Agnieszka Radwanska in the first round of Wimbledon in 2015, while the Japanese star hit hers in a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 loss to Madison Keys in the third round of the 2016 US Open on Arthur Ashe Stadium (3).

6. Nadiia Kichenok (125.5mph)

Nadia Kichenok | Tennis News | Sportzpoint.com

Source: Tennis Picks

In the first round of the 2014 Australian Open, the Ukrainian hit a 125.5 mph serve against Ayumi Morita, but lost 6-2, 7-6. (5). Kichenok is best recognised for her doubles results with twin sister Lyudmyla, the only twins to win a WTA doubles title together other than the Pliskovas.

Read more: Most aces in tennis by male players

5. Brenda Schultz-McCarthy (126.0mph)

Brenda Schultz-McCarthy | fastest serves in tennis history | Tennis News | Sportzpoint.com

Source: Wikipedia

Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, a retired Dutch tennis player, reached a career-high ranking of World No. 9 in 1996, the same year she reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon and the US Open. Prior to her retirement in 1999, Schultz-McCarthy was one of the few consistently good servers in the 1990s. Her fastest serve was recorded shortly after her return to professional tennis in 2005. Brenda Schultz hammered a 202.7 km/h (126.0 mph) serve against Bethanie Mattek-Sands at the 2007 Indian Wells Open.

4. Julia Gorges (126.1 mph)

Julia Göres | fastest serves in tennis history | Tennis News | Sportzpoint.com

Source: CelebMafia

The fifth-fastest serve in tennis history of 126.1 mph (203 km/h) is held by Germany's Julia Gorges. Gorges was the first to record this speed during her first-round match against Lucie Hradecka at the 2012 French Open where she reached the third round before losing to Arantxa Rus.

3. Serena Williams (128.6 mph)

Serena Williams | fastest serves in tennis history | Tennis News | Sportzpoint.com

Source: OrissaPost

A list of the fastest serves ever recorded in the women's game would be incomplete without the name of the legendary Serena Williams. Serena's strong serve has saved her numerous times, and it has been her go-to weapon under duress for more than two decades. At the 2013 Australian Open, Serena Williams didn't just hit one 203.0 km/h (128.6 mph) serve; she blasted two in her match against Garbine Muguruza. Asked about her achievement in the post-match interview, Serena said - "It's my fastest that went in. I've hit some 150s, but of course, they're, like, to the sky."

Read more: Every Rafael Nadal's French Open stats that you should know about

2. Venus Williams (129.0 mph)

Venus Williams | fastest serves in tennis history | Tennis News | Sportzpoint.com

Source: Prevention

Venus Williams, like her younger sister Serena, has a tremendously powerful serve in her arsenal. She is one of the tallest female tennis players in the world, and her first serve is one of her most powerful weapons. She, however, relies heavily on her first serve because her second serve is problematic, with a number of double faults occurring at inopportune periods. Venus has hit 207.6 km/h (129.0 mph) twice in her career, once in the first round of the 2007 US Open against Kira Nagy and again in the 2008 Wimbledon final against sister Serena.

1. Sabine Lisicki (131.0 mph)

2013 Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki was one of the finest servers on the WTA Tour between 2011-2015, before injuries and bad form took a toll. Despite being sensitive to "grass," the German regards the surface as her favourite. In fact, she has had more success on grass than on any other surface, including four consecutive quarterfinal appearances in the Wimbledon Championships from 2011 to 2014.

Sabine Lisicki rewrote the record books by serving the fastest-ever serve on the WTA circuit in her match against Ana Ivanovic at the 2014 Stanford Classic. The German breached the elusive 130 mph mark for the first time as she clocked a thunderous serve measuring 210.8 km/h (131.0 mph).

Wta Fastest Serves In Tennis History