What is the fastest tennis serve ever recorded?

The fasted serve in tennis ever recorded poses a bit of a dilemma owing to the technicalities around the recognition of serves by both the ATP and WTA.

Recorded in 2012 at the Busan Open in South Korea, the fastest serve was achieved by a right-handed Australian tennis player who had no acclaim in the sport, still finding his way in second-tier Challenger events.

In this article, we look at the fastest serve ever recorded and discuss the residual implications surrounding that record.

New serve record set in Busan Open by unknown Aussie

Ranked No.340 in the world and the former husband of fellow Aussie tennis player Jarmila Gajdosova, Sam Groth struck a thunderous serve against Belarus’ Vladzimir Ignatik.

Groth’s record-setting serve was clocked at an impressive 163.7 mph (263.4 km/h), surpassing Croat Ivo Karlovic’s record from the previous year in a doubles match at the Davis Cup, which stood at 156.0 (251.1 km/h).

The Aussie’s serve was a monumental feat considering how far it eclipsed the standing record as compared to other record-breaking serves. Groth obliterated Karlovic’s record by a staggering 7.7 mph (12.3 km/h), far greater than other players who merely shaved their peers’ records.

The record serve did, however, not translate into a victory as he was beaten by his opponent on the day, and to add insult to injury, his record was not officially recognised by the ATP.

Challenger event’s speed data not recognised by ATP

Although Groth set a remarkable achievement for himself, it is somewhat of a bitter pill to swallow that his record is not recognised by the body he subscribed to as a professional tennis player. The ATP’s rules around speed guns used at Challenger Events are somewhat self-contradictory.

The body does not recognise speed data from Challenger Events for several reasons, some of which suggest that the serve-speed guns used at that level are not of the highest standards, not very accurate and tend to have technical issues.

This might be frustrating for tennis players, as well as other stakeholders in the sport such as analysts and statisticians, since the equipment used at the Busan Open and other Challenger events was approved by the ATP.

The data from Busan was confirmed by the ATP making an announcement several days later, further corroborating its veracity and suggesting that it all appeared within normal range. 

Does a fast serve guarantee a win?

We believe that to not be the case as was seen in Groth’s record-setting serve match against Uladzimir Ignatik. However, considering the dynamism in tennis matches, it might sway the overall match result.