Tennis
Who Has the Best Serve in Tennis History? A Data Ranking
Serving is a fundamental part of tennis. Arguably, the most important shot, it can be used as a big weapon to win quick points and leave opponents feeling hapless. Players on return, however, have been challenged to guess the types of serves they might face, such as down the ‘T’ or out wide, but reading such serves effectively, can create break points.
Ivo Karlovic (CRO) /Getty Images
The greatest servers in tennis history have been unflappable in the key moments, heaping pressure on their opponents. A glance at the ATP Tour serving records has shown that the likes of Ivo Karlovic, Goran Ivanisevic, and Milos Raonic were extraordinarily consistent on serve, throwing down plenty of aces, but who was the best?
We’ve applied multi-layered analysis, crunching the stats and expert opinions through our trusted system to reach a concrete conclusion on this topic.
SB Market Index: How We Evaluate the Greatest Servers in Tennis
This evaluation combines a comprehensive statistical “Serve Rating” with expert and media perception to provide a definitive ranking of the most dominant serves on the ATP Tour. Blending these two components formed the ‘SB Market Index’, a unique custom-built system where results were transparent and outliers were minimised
Industry Insights
A curated analysis from the top 10 tennis and sports media sources measures how prominently each of these players is featured in discussions of the “greatest” or “most dominant” servers in tennis history.
| Source Name | Ivo Karlovic | Goran Ivanisevic | Milos Raonic | Richard Krajicek | Wayne Arthurs |
| ATP Tour Official Site – “All-Time Serve Leaders” | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Tennis.com – “Ranking the 10 Best Serves of the Open Era” | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Wikipedia – “Ace (tennis)” notable servers section | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| UbiTennis – “The Serve as a Weapon” analysis | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Bleacher Report – “Ranking the Most Feared Servers Ever” | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Last Word on Sports – “Top 5 Serves in Men’s Tennis” | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Tennishead – “A Look at the Biggest Serving Legends” | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Reddit r/tennis – “Best Serve of All Time” Fan Poll | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| EssentiallySports – “Comparing Tennis’s Serving Giants” | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| talkSPORT – “Who has the best serve in history?” | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Total Mentions | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 3 |
SB Score
| Player | Serve Rating | % 1st Srv Points Won | % Srv Games Won | Av. Aces/Match | SB Score |
| Ivo Karlovic | 309.8 | 82.7% | 92.0% | 19.8 | 1.000 |
| Milos Raonic | 302.6 | 81.5% | 91.1% | 15.5 | 0.977 |
| Wayne Arthurs | 290.4 | 81.2% | 88.2% | 15.8 | 0.937 |
| Richard Krajicek | 286.9 | 81.4% | 87.2% | 12.6 | 0.926 |
| Goran Ivanisevic | 282.2 | 82.5% | 85.7% | 13.9 | 0.911 |
This score is calculated based on the ATP’s official “Serve Rating” (100% weightage), which is a composite statistic summarizing overall serving effectiveness.
SB Market Index
| Rank | Player | SB Score | Industry Insights | SB Market Index |
| 1 | Ivo Karlovic | 1.000 | 10 | 8.200 |
| 2 | Milos Raonic | 0.977 | 10 | 8.195 |
| 3 | Goran Ivanisevic | 0.911 | 10 | 8.182 |
| 4 | Richard Krajicek | 0.926 | 9 | 7.385 |
| 5 | Wayne Arthurs | 0.937 | 3 | 2.587 |
The Kings of the Serve: Karlovic, Raonic, and Ivanisevic
A beast on hard court, Ivo Karlovic’s serve stats were sensational. He won close to 83% of his first serve points and 92% of his service games. The Croatian produced one of the fastest servers ever at the Davis Cup in 2011 (156 mph), and he was always immensely difficult to break. Not only that, but he once served the most aces in a single match (78) which was remarkable. His strong ‘SB Score’ was backed up with a flawless ‘Industry Insights’ rating.
Milos Raonic’s career may have been hampered by injuries, but the Canadian was a serving master. He landed eight ATP Tour titles, and his technique was pure, earning him the tag of “servebot”, and he powered down aces at will. Raonic was widely admired by the industry experts, but he was just pipped to top spot by Karlovic.
Meanwhile, Goran Ivanisevic’s serve was like a bullet, and he was one of the kings of grass, with his Wimbledon triumph in 2011 underlining his ability as one of the best serve and volley players in his era. Like Karlovic and Raonic, Ivanisevic cemented his place among the tennis serving statistic leaders and claimed a perfect ‘Industry Insights mark.
The 90s Powerhouse: Richard Krajicek
Richard Krajicek was no flash in the pan, as encompassed by his 1996 Wimbledon triumph and the handful of Masters titles he won. He was incredibly precise on serve and his motion arguably bore resemblance to Pete Sampras, widely hailed as one of the best American tennis players of all time. Krajicek’s excellent ‘SB Score’ and ‘Industry Insights’ rating put him among the best servers in tennis.
The Underrated Specialist: Wayne Arthurs
Wayne Arthurs might not seem a household name compared to the others mentioned on this list, but only Karlovic averaged more ages than the Australian. Arthurs who flourished on the singles and doubles circuit, had a smooth action, and he was able to win many free points on serve. Although he was statistically strong, his ‘Industry Insights’ mark pulled him down slightly.
Conclusion on the Art of a Serve
In summary, our model, which relied on stats and expert opinions, crowned Ivo Karlovic as the greatest server in our elite group, and throughout his career, he made serving look easier.
However, assessing the top tennis servers ranked was a close contest, and serving is as much an art as it is a science. While Milos Raonic’s ace count, for example, was impressive, other mechanics go into creating a formidable serve, such as ball toss and rhythm.
The players we’ve discussed honed their craft, making having a powerful serve an immense advantage, and their achievements ought to be celebrated.
Charles Perrin is a highly experienced sports betting content writer with over six years of working with some of the leading sportsbooks in the UK, including bet365 and William Hill.