Tennis
The Players Who Served the Most Aces in a Single Men’s Tennis Match
Discover the players who served the most aces in a single men’s tennis match. Explore the incredible records of John Isner, Ivo Karlović, Nicolas Mahut, and more.
Ivo Karlovic of Croatia serves to Brayden Schnur of Canada//Getty Images
Tennis revolves around two key components fully functioning – returning and serving. Indeed, serving well can often unlock the door to success. Variety is critical, but serving aces is the most devastating and decisive way to win a point.
Being able to serve an ace in tennis is a big weapon, especially if you find yourself in a sticky situation trying to save a break point. On the flip side, it is a great way to win a quick point if you are looking to close out a set.
Several ingredients go into producing an ace, such as raw power, precision, and consistency. At SportsBoom, we relish tackling tennis’ most fascinating subjects. The guide assesses who has served the most aces in a single tennis match, and the tennis serving records analyzed are extraordinary by all accounts.
Peak Performance – The ‘SB Market Index’ Score
Our SB Market Index calculation consists of two parts:
- SB Score – Based on the achievements of the player.
- Industry Insights – Based on how the industry perceives these two players.
These two scores together will help us calculate the final SB Market Index score.
SB Score - Most Aces in a Single Match by Player (Core Data)
Our ‘SB Score’ for this analysis is derived from each player’s single most prolific ace-hitting performance in a professional match, reflecting their ultimate serving peak.
| Player | Most Aces in a Single Match |
| John Isner | 113 |
| Nicolas Mahut | 103 |
| Ivo Karlović | 78 |
| Reilly Opelka | 67 |
Note: We are using only the single highest ace count for each player for this SB Score, as per the focus on “peak”.
‘SB Score’ Methodology Explained
The ‘SB Score’ is calculated by normalizing each player’s highest single-match ace count against the maximum in this group (Isner’s 113). This score directly reflects their peak ace-producing capability in one match.
The ‘SB Score’ Result
| Player | ‘SB Market Index’ Score |
| John Isner | 1.0000 |
| Nicolas Mahut | 0.9115 |
| Ivo Karlović | 0.6903 |
| Reilly Opelka | 0.5929 |
Interpreting this ‘SB Score’ Result
John Isner (‘SB Market Index’ Score: 1.0000) naturally leads our ‘SB Market Index’ due to his record 113 aces in a single match. Nicolas Mahut’s 103 aces in the same historic match also gave him a very high score.
The Broader Perception – ‘Industry Insights’ Analysis
Beyond a single match, how are these players generally perceived in terms of their ace-hitting dominance and overall impact as servers?
‘Industry Insights’ Methodology Explained
This ‘Industry Insights’ reflects a consensus from surveyed expert opinions and media analysis, assigning points based on how frequently each player is cited or ranked highly in discussions about the ‘best servers’ or ‘most prolific ace hitters’.
| Player | Wikipedia Aces in Match | Guinness World Records | ATP Tour Records | Italian Wiki Record | The Guardian/Reuters | Total Mentions |
| John Isner | 1 (113 aces vs Mahut) youtube.com+15en.wikipedia.org+15guinnessworldrecords.com+15 | 1 (Most aces in match: 113) | 1 (career aces leader & match record) | 1 (#1 in single-match aces 113) | 1 (The Guardian mentions 112/113 aces in long match) | 5 |
| Nicolas Mahut | 1 (103 aces vs Isner) | 1 (second highest in single match: 103) | 1 (Italian wiki lists second) | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Ivo Karlović | 1 (78 aces vs Štěpánek + multiple) | 0 | 1 (#2 career aces, match records) | 1 (multiple entries: 78, 75, 61) | 1 (75 aces at the Australian Open) | 4 |
‘Industry Insights’ Analysis Scorecard
| Player | ‘SB Market Index’ Analysis Points |
| John Isner | 5 |
| Nicolas Mahut | 3 |
| Ivo Karlović | 4 |
| Reilly Opelka | 4 |
Interpreting the ‘Industry Insights’’ Analysis
In terms of ‘SB Market Index’ analysis, John Isner (5 Points) leads, reflecting his strong overall reputation as an ace machine. Ivo Karlović and Reilly Opelka (4 Points each) are also highly regarded by the surveyed sources.
The Combined Perspective – The ‘SB Market Index’
Fusing their peak ace performance with broader market/expert perception gives our final ‘SB Market Index’.
‘SB Market Index’ Calculation & Result
To establish our final ‘SB Market Index’, the ‘SB Market Index Analysis’ contributed 80% of the weightage, while the SB Score was weighted 20% for our calculations.
‘SB Market Index’ - Ranked
| Rank | Player | SB Score (Value) | SB (Weighted 20%) | Market Analysis (Value) | Market (Weighted 80%) | SB Market Index |
| 1 | John Isner | 1.0000 | 0.20000 | 5 | 4.0 | 4.20000 |
| 2 | Ivo Karlović | 0.6903 | 0.13806 | 4 | 3.2 | 3.33806 |
| 3 | Reilly Opelka | 0.5929 | 0.11858 | 4 | 3.2 | 3.31858 |
| 4 | Nicolas Mahut | 0.9115 | 0.18230 | 3 | 2.4 | 2.58230 |
The Verdict
Our multi-layered analysis, culminating in the ‘SB Market Index’ which heavily weights ‘Market Analysis’ (80%), positions John Isner (‘SB Market Index’: 4.200) as the top ace-hitting player among this group within our model’s parameters.
Spotlight on the Ace Kings
This section delves deeper into the players with the most aces in one match. We have fleshed out a bit of context on their remarkable serving feats.
The Isner-Mahut Wimbledon Epic (2010)
This merited its own sub-section. Men’s Wimbledon matches are best-of-five sets, but few would have believed what they witnessed when John Isner and Nicolas Mahut met in the first round in 2010.
A contest that extended over 11 hours and spanned three days due to poor light causing several match suspensions, this is the longest tennis match with aces in men’s singles history. Isner powered down 113 aces which remains a record, while Nicholas Mahut’s tally of 103 aces shouldn’t be diminished.
What’s crazier was Isner won the last set 70-68. Back then, there was no final set tie-break; instead, players continued until they won by two clear games. Both players were shattered mentally at the end, but in terms of serving excellence, this was in a class of its own!
Ivo Karlović (Mr. Ace)
Mr. Ace seems like an appropriate way to describe Ivo Karlović, who ended up with fewer all-time aces (13,728) on the ATP Tour by Isner who pipped him to top spot. Given his height (6ft 11 in) and his unique serving motion, perhaps it’s no surprise to see Karlović here.
With multiple entries, Ivo Karlović’s record for most aces (78) came in the 2009 Davis Cup. However, in a match spanning six hours, was a serving masterclass from Karlović. It was even more remarkable as he did this on clay. However, Karlović failed to convert five match points, and his efforts came in a losing cause.
The New Generation of Big Servers (Opelka)
Reilly Opelka features in a long list of American players with big serves. Of course, Isner and Andy Roddick spring to mind for monster serves and amassing plenty of aces, but Opelka battered down 67 aces in a singles match at the Australian Open in 2019 against Thomas Fabbiano.
It was the most at the time in a singles match since the ATP started doing official tracking in 1991. Despite his exceptional serving, Opelka bowed out in Round 2 after going the full five sets.
John Isner (Again)
If we solely judge John Isner’s ace record at Wimbledon against Mahut, then that is remarkable. He is also among the top players with the fastest serve recorded.
However, Isner also served 64 aces in a gruelling five-set win against Ruben Bemelmans, a Belgian qualifier, in a match that lasted a couple of days as the clash was disrupted by rain.
That year, Isner reached the semi-final but bowed against Kevin Anderson which also went the distance.
Key Factors in High Ace Counts
Serving an ace isn’t easy, but a few factors need to be considered in terms of the volume of aces for any given match:
Match Length – The tennis record for the most aces in a single match came in best-of-five sets, as there are more opportunities to serve compared to best-of-three sets. The Isner-Mahut clash was a classic example of this.
Serving Prowess – This is dictated by an ability to hit powerful, well-placed serves, and gaining quick points as and when. Those on the list provided sustained brilliance with their serving thereby registering more aces.
Surface type – Grass and hard are both super quick, lending themselves to more aces, whereas clay is considerably slower. This makes Karlović’s exploits on the red dirt even more remarkable.
Opponent’s Return Ability (or lack thereof on the day) – Sometimes, a player might struggle to read a serve, and therefore, this can result in more aces being delivered.
Conclusion
In summary, the highest number of aces in a match is largely down to a player’s serving power, accuracy, and physical endurance to keep powering down unreturnable serves.
John Isner should take a lot of credit for the ace records he set in tennis history. That epic match against Nicolas Mahut is still talked about today as one of the all-time Wimbledon classics, and Mahut more than played his part.
However, we can’t overlook Karlović’s continued brilliance on serve, and these incredible displays should be celebrated.
SportsBoom Suggests
Players known for high ace counts, like Isner and Karlović historically, heavily influence ‘Total Aces in Match’ betting markets and can be strong candidates for ‘Player to Win Most Service Games’ or even match winner if their serve is firing.
REFERENCES
- 1
ATP all-time aces record: Ivo Karlović sits in second spot - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/62012243 Accessed June 2, 2025
- 2
Ivo Karlović’s hammers down 78 aces for Croatia against Radek Stepanek in a 2009 Davis Cup tie against Czech Republic: Match report of extraordinary feat - https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/sep/18/karlovic-aces-record-stepanek-davis-cup Accessed June 2, 2025
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.