The fastest tennis serves on record, and what a big serve is worth

The fastest serve on an official tennis record is John Isner's 157 mph, about 253 km/h, hit during the United States' Davis Cup tie against Australia in March 2016. The USTA described it at the time as the all-time Davis Cup and ATP Tour serving speed record. The fastest serve in WTA history is Sabine Lisicki's 131 mph, about 211 km/h, at Stanford in 2014, according to the WTA. This page lists only speeds that an official source, the ATP, the WTA, a national federation or a tournament, has stated, each with its date and source, checked on 1 November 2026.

Faster serves are quoted elsewhere, for example one hit by Sam Groth at a Challenger event in 2012. I couldn't read it on an official ATP, WTA or tournament page, so it isn't in the table, and I haven't quoted its speed.

The fastest official serves

Where a source gave the speed only in miles per hour, the kilometres per hour figure is my conversion, marked "about". Each record belongs to the body that keeps it: Wimbledon's appears in its own Compendium, which the ATP quoted when the record fell in 2025, and the WTA's is on the player's WTA profile.

How each record was set

• Isner, 2016. The USTA's report on the tie says Isner recorded 49 aces in the match in which he set the record, as the United States beat Australia in the Davis Cup. The report gives the speed in miles per hour only.
• Mpetshi Perricard, 2025. The ATP reported that he hit 153 mph in the opening game of his match against Taylor Fritz at Wimbledon on 30 June 2025, five miles per hour faster than the tournament's previous record. The match was then halted, which is why the ATP's headline mentions it.
• Dent, 2010. Taylor Dent's 148 mph had stood as the Wimbledon record for 15 years, according to the same ATP report, which took both figures from the Wimbledon Compendium.
• Lisicki, 2014. The WTA lists her record serve in the first round at Stanford, in a match she lost to Ana Ivanovic. A record serve doesn't guarantee the match.

The pattern is worth noticing: two of the four record serves came in matches the server lost or that were interrupted. The serve is one shot. The match is decided by everything else too.

The fastest average serves

A single serve shows a player's top speed. An average says more about how they serve every day. In January 2026 the ATP published the fastest average serve speeds of the 2025 season from its Infosys ATP Stats:

So the fastest server on the 2025 tour averaged a first serve about 19 mph slower than the Wimbledon record. Peak speeds come in bursts; averages are what a player can repeat.

Speed, aces and holding serve

An ace is a legal serve the receiver doesn't touch, and a fast serve makes aces more likely, but speed isn't the goal in itself. What matters on the scoreboard is how often a player holds serve, and pace is only one part of that. The glossary has the definitions, and how tennis scoring works explains why holding is the normal result of a service game.

What a big serve is worth to the price

The model behind the win-chance calculator uses hold rate as its main input. Against an opponent who holds 80% of the time, this is what a player's own hold rate is worth at the start of a best-of-three match:

These are model figures that treat every point as independent. Use them as a baseline for comparing players, not as a forecast for a match.

Sources

All checked on 1 November 2026: the USTA's report Isner, U.S. wrap up Davis Cup win over Australia of 5 March 2016; the ATP's articles Mpetshi Perricard shatters Wimbledon serve-speed record of 30 June 2025 and It All Adds Up: Mpetshi Perricard's serve sizzles above all others of 18 January 2026; and the WTA player profile of Sabine Lisicki. Hold-rate figures are from the 77 Tennis win-chance model. Where this page and those sources disagree, the sources win.

FAQ

What is the fastest tennis serve ever recorded?

On an official record, John Isner's 157 mph (about 253 km/h) in the Davis Cup in March 2016, which the USTA called the all-time Davis Cup and ATP Tour record. Faster speeds quoted elsewhere aren't on an official ATP, WTA or tournament page I could read.

What is the fastest serve in women's tennis?

Sabine Lisicki's 131 mph, about 211 km/h, at Stanford in 2014, which the WTA lists as the fastest-recorded serve in WTA history.

What is the fastest serve at Wimbledon?

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard's 153 mph (246 km/h) against Taylor Fritz in 2025, according to the ATP, citing the Wimbledon Compendium. It beat Taylor Dent's 148 mph from 2010.

Who had the fastest average serve in 2025?

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, with an average first serve of 134.4 mph (216.3 km/h) and an average second serve of 117 mph, according to the ATP.

Does a faster serve win more matches?

Only through holding serve. In the 77 Tennis model, raising a player's hold rate from 80% to 85% against an 80% opponent lifts their match chance from about 51% to 65%.