While the fastest tennis serves don’t guarantee success on the court, they can serve as a useful weapon, and at the very least they’re incredibly fun to watch.
In this article, we’ve rounded up the world’s fastest men’s and women’s tennis serves recorded throughout history along with some of the fastest serves hit by some of the games most popular players.
Ball (noun) [bawl]
A small hollow object made of rubber, covered in fluorescent yellow felt and pressurized so that it bounces.
Bye (noun) [bahy]
The automatic advancement of a seeded singles player or doubles team from one round to the next without having to compete against an opponent.
Backswing (noun) [bak-swing]
The backward motion of a swing that moves the tennis racquet into position in preparation to swing forward and strike the ball.
Bagel (noun) [bey-guh l]
A set where the ending score is 6-0.
Approach Shot (noun) [uh–prohch shot]
An offensive shot that allows a tennis player to transition from the baseline to the net hitting either a forehand or a backhand. Also, referred to as an approach.
Fifteen (noun) [fif–teen]
The score of 15 denotes a single point in tennis.
Ad Court (noun) [ad kohrt]
The ad court is the left side of the tennis court as divided by the center service line and center mark at the baseline.
Ace (noun) [eys]
An ace is a serve that successfully lands in the service box and does not touch the receiving player’s racquet.
Curious what the term love means in tennis? We’ve got you covered. Read on to learn everything you need to know.
While you’re here, you may also want to check out our article on the score of deuce in tennis or our complete article on tennis scoring.