Top 10 fastest serves in Tennis history (ATP recognised)

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. Sam Groth set a new world record for the fastest tennis serve with a speed of 263.4 km/h (163.7 mph). Regretfully for the Australian, the ATP does not recognise that record because it was set at a Challenger tournament. However, We'll limit ourselves to ATP-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. Juan Martin del Potro | 149.1 mph (240km/h)

Juan Martin del Potro, also known as 'The Tower of Tandil', is unsurprisingly included in the list. He is the finest Argentinian player of his generation, having won the US Open.

No one struck it in the final encounter that they won out of all the players who are in the top ten except him. Del Potro claimed the Stockholm Open in 2017 after defeating Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets(6-4, 6-2). In the process, he did not forget to hit a 149.1 mph serve. However, his overall performance acquired him the 10th position in our list of Top 10 fastest serves in tennis history.

Read more: Juan Martin Del Potro: an emotional farewell to the Argentinian sensation

9. Taylor Dent | 149.8 mph (241.1 km/h)

There was a time when Taylor Dent and Andy Roddick were thought to be the two toughest servers in the game. Whilst Dent didn't have quite the same amount of achievement as Roddick, he certainly made it to the fourth round of a few Grand Slams. The only player in our Top 10 who has confirmed his mobility on Clay is Taylor Dent. He reached a career-high of No. 21 despite a career marred by ailments.

In the first round of the 2010 French Open, the American hit a 240 km/h (149.1 mph) serve that stunned the crowd. This went on to become the quickest serve in the tournament's history and landed him on this list of Top 10 fastest serves in tennis history.

8. Ben Shelton | 150 mph (241.4 km/h)

The 21-year-old tank-topped terror generated gasps with 150mph serve at the 2024 Indian Wells. Shelton beat fellow top prospect Jakub Mensik 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in round two. Shelton smacked eight aces and bombed one serve at 150 mph while advancing after exactly two hours. This marks the first time Shelton has picked up a main-tour win over a younger opponent.

7. Oscar Otte | 151 mph (243.0 km/h)

German player Oscar Otte secured the seventh spot on this list, showcasing his exceptional serving abilities with speeds of 243 km/hr (151 mph). This rising star has demonstrated his potential to dominate matches with his powerful serves. Otte rocketed his personal best against Matteo Berrettini in the fourth round of the 2021 US Open Championships. He put up a solid performance against the Italian but couldn't outfox him at the hardcourt Major.

6. Marius Copil | 151.6 mph (244.0 km/h)

The Romanian has never made the top 50 in the world rankings, but he is executing some of his best performances. As a result of his outstanding performance, he completed 2018 as the 57th-best player in the world. He still has the potential to burst through and have a successful career.

He has, however, always depended primarily on his serve, which has earned him a stellar record. The Romanian landed the ball perfectly in the quarterfinals of the 2016 European Open, registering a speed of 244 km/h (151.6 mph). Thus, he achieved the 7th position in our list of Top 10 fastest serves in tennis history.

5. Feliciano Lopez | 152.0 mph (244.6 km/h)

Feliciano Lopez, a Spanish tennis player, managed to reach a career-high ranking of 12 in 2015. Due to being a veteran who has been around the circuit for a long time, many people seem to have forgotten how amazing of a server Feliciano Lopez was during his heyday. He delivered one of the fastest serves ever at the Aegon Championships in 2014. The Spaniard slammed the ball to serve with a pace of 244.6 km/h (152 mph) in the opening round encounter.

4. Andy Roddick | 155.0 mph (249.4 km/h)

Andy Roddick was the best American tennis player of his generation, and at the end of 2003, he was rated No. 1 in the world. He was a person who was known for blasting the ball and relied heavily on his serve. Andy Roddick stands a respectable 6'2" tall among a list of giants. However, he quickly established himself as one of the top servers in the game's history and created a wonder by smashing Rusedski's world record for fastest serve in the Davis Cup semi-final against Belarus in 2004. He launched the ball at a breakneck pace of 249.4 km/h (159 mph). It wasn't until 2011 that the record was broken.

3. Milos Raonic | 155.3 mph (249.9 km/h)

When Milos Raonic defeated Roger Federer to win the Brisbane International in 2014, he demonstrated his whole spectrum of abilities. In 2016, he emulated the feat in the Wimbledon semifinals. Raonic is the first player from Canada to crack the top ten. He is also one of the game's most powerful servers. In 2012, his tremendous first serve helped him to overtake Andy Roddick at 155.3 mph in the SAP Open. Afterwards, he reached a career-high rating of number three in the rankings, all thanks to his poised serves.

2. Ivo Karlovic | 156.0 mph (251 km/h)

In his peak, Ivo Karlovic was a fantastic server who holds the record for most career aces with about 13,000 of them. He is tied for the title of tallest player in professional tennis history, and his personal greatest record was set at the 2011 Davis Cup. Karlovic shattered Roddick's fastest serve record during Croatia's first round of Davis Cup match. He fired an ultimate bullet of a serve at 251 km/h that fell directly on the list of records.

1. John Isner | 157.2 mph (253 km/h)