What An Ace Means In Tennis
& How To Hit One + Stats
In this article, I’ll review what an ace is, provide examples using the term in a sentence, explain how to hit one, answer common questions, and share compelling statistics.
Definition
An ace is a serve that successfully lands in the service box and does not touch the receiving player’s racquet.
Examples In A Sentence
I’m going for a huge ace up the middle.
Roger Federer has hit more than 10,000 aces in his career.
How To Hit An Ace
Typically, a player will hit an ace on their first serve, where the speed of the ball tends to be greater than a second serve.
An ace usually occurs when a player serves up the middle or out wide because it’s harder for the receiving player to get their racquet on the ball, so aiming for these locations will give you the best opportunity for executing one yourself.
Tall players tend to hit more aces than short players because they have more clearance over the net, which helps increase their margin of error when hitting big, flat serves.
FAQs
Is an ace a winner?
Yes, an ace is a winner because the opposing player does not touch the ball with their racquet.
How many points is an ace?
An ace wins the serving player a single point.
How do you get an ace?
As the serving player in a game, you get an ace when you successfully hit a serve in the service box, and your opponent does not touch the ball with their racquet.
Compelling Stats
Who are the all-time ace leaders on the ATP tour?
The ATP began tracking this statistic in 1991. Since then, the following are the top 20 players with the most aces.
| Player | Aces | Matches | Average Aces Per Match |
| John Isner | 14,470 | 772 | 19 |
| Ivo Karlovic | 13,728 | 694 | 20 |
| Roger Federer | 11,478 | 1462 | 8 |
| Feliciano Lopez | 10,261 | 976 | 11 |
| Goran Ivanisevic | 10,237 | 731 | 14 |
| Andy Roddick | 9,074 | 776 | 12 |
| Sam Querrey | 8,879 | 694 | 13 |
| Pete Sampras | 8,858 | 792 | 11 |
| Milos Raonic | 8,445 | 542 | 16 |
| Ivan Ljubicic | 8,138 | 680 | 12 |
| Marin Cilic | 8,024 | 860 | 9 |
| Kevin Anderson | 7,727 | 600 | 13 |
| Richard Krajicek | 7,694 | 606 | 13 |
| Greg Rusedski | 7,605 | 677 | 11 |
| Novak Djokovic | 7,245 | 1275 | 6 |
| Gael Monfils | 7,226 | 875 | 8 |
| Tomas Berdych | 7,184 | 933 | 8 |
| Mark Philippoussis | 6,709 | 482 | 14 |
| Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | 6,643 | 672 | 10 |
| Andy Murray | 6,520 | 964 | 7 |
Who holds the record for the most aces in a match?
John Iser holds the record for most aces in a tennis match with 113 aces when he defeated Nicolas Mahut from France.
Who holds the record for the most aces in their career?
As of October 23, 2017, Ivo Karlovic holds the record for the most aces in his career with 12,278.
Who holds the record for the most aces in a row?
Sam Querrey holds the record for ten aces in a row while playing James Blake at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships in 2007.
Who holds the record for the most aces in a season?
In 1996, Goran Ivanišević recorded the most aces in a season with 1,477.
What are the most aces hit in an Australian Open match?
Ivo Karlovic holds the record for the most aces in an Australian Open match with 75 against Horacio Zeballos in 2017.
What are the most aces hit in a French Open match?
Ivo Karlovic recorded the most aces in a single French Open match in 2009 while playing Lleyton Hewitt in the first round.
What are the most aces hit in a Wimbledon match?
John Isner served the most aces in a Wimbledon match with 113 while playing Nicolas Mahut in 2010.
What are the most aces hit in a US Open match?
The most aces hit during a US Open match are 61 by Ivo Karlovic during his 2016 competition against Yen-Hsun Lu.
What is the fastest ace in tennis?
Sam Groth holds the record for the fastest ace in history at 263 km/h (163.4 mph) during a 2012 challenger match. However, the ATP does not officially recognize the serve as the fastest. As a result, John Isner holds the official record for the fastest ace at 253 km/h (157.2 mph) during a 2016 Davis Cup match.
Wrapping Up
Have questions about aces in tennis? Let me know in the comments below – I’d love to help.
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