Tennis is a sport that requires a lot of skill, technique, endurance and physical strength. And one of the most important aspects of this much-loved sport is the serve, which can define the course of a game, set or even match.
In this article, we’ll introduce you to the 20 best tennis serves in history, based on criteria such as power, effect, consistency and precision.
These athletes stood out for their ability to dominate the serve and impose their pace on their opponents, winning titles and admirers around the world.
Here’s how it turned out 👇
Best tennis servers of all time
- Sam Querrey
- Austin Krajicek
- Nick Kyrgios
- Milos Raonic
- Andy Roddick
- Roger Federer
- Goran Ivanisevic
- John Isner
- Pete Sampras
- Ivo Karlovic
10) Sam Querrey
- Nation | United States
- Career | 2006-2022
- Aces | 8.879
We open the list of the best tennis players in history with Sam Querrey. The American, who recently retired, had a deadly serve.
It’s not for nothing that he holds the record for consecutive serves in a single match (10). This curious fact occurred in a match against James Blake at the Indianapolis tournament in 2007.
Querrey has won 10 titles in his career, but no Grand Slam. His best position in the ATP world rankings was in February 2018, when he reached 11th in the singles category.
9) Richard Krajicek
- Nation | Netherlands
- Career | 1989-2003
- Aces | 7.694
Richard Krajicek was a tall (1.96m) and slim player, who loved to go to the net to finish off rallies. In the 1990s, he achieved the feat of being the only Dutchman to lift a Grand Slam trophy in history.
He won the title at Wimbledon 1996, beating none other than Pete Sampras in the quarter-finals.
Krajicek’s serve was precise and surgical, one of the most effective ever in the ATP professional championships.
8) Nick Kyrgios
- Nation | Australia
- Career | 2013-Present
- Aces | 4.529
When Nick Kyrgios beat Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon 2014, little did we know that we were facing a great server.
The athlete, who has also become one of the most controversial tennis players in history, has a powerful and super-efficient serve.
Kyrgios is a guy who doesn’t let pressure affect his game. On second serves, when many players usually take their hands off, the Australian shines and risks powerful serves to come out ahead or score an ace.
7) Milos Raonic
- Nation | Canada
- Career | 2008-Present
- Aces | 8.278
Milos Raonic has one of the best serves in the game today. To give you an idea, the tennis player won 91.1% of the games he started by serving.
This mark is the third best in history. There are only two players ahead of him, who are also at the top of this ranking: John Isner (91.8%) and Ivo Karlovic (92%).
Raonic’s other strengths include his forehand and his net game. It’s a shame that injuries have hampered his performance in recent years, as he once boasted a world ranking of third.
6) Andy Roddick
- Nation | United States
- Career | 2000-2015
- Aces | 9.074
Andy Roddick is arguably one of the best tennis players in history. Anyone who has ever seen the American play knows what we’re talking about: power was his trademark.
The tennis player’s ball was frighteningly fast. At his peak, few opponents were capable of receiving his first serve with quality.
Roddick held the record for the fastest serve in the sport for seven years. The mark was achieved in the 2004 Davis Cup semi-final when, in a match against Vladimir Voltchkov, his serve reached 249.4 km/h.
5) Roger Federer
- Nation | Switzerland
- Career | 1998-2022
- Aces | 11.478
Sometimes there’s no purpose in praising Roger Federer, the greatest tennis player of all time – who also had a masterful serve.
As the Swiss used the eastern grip, his opponents found it very difficult to read his serve.
Federer is the tennis player with the most aces in the history of the open era (11,478). He is second only to Ivo Karlovic (13,728) and John Isner (14,470).
4) Goran Ivanisevic
- Nation | Croatia
- Career | 1988-2004
- Aces | 10.237
Goran Ivanisevic had a left hand that would make any tennis player envious. With it, he delivered violent serves, always putting his opponent in trouble.
And speaking of violence, another of the Croatian’s trademarks was smashing rackets in moments of fury on court.
In 1996, Ivanisevic accumulated 1,477 aces in a single season – a mark that has never been achieved by another athlete to this day.
3) John Isner
- Nation | United States
- Career | 2007-2023
- Aces | 14.470
Our bronze medal went to John Isner. The American was the player who scored the most aces in tennis history (14,470).
He also holds another impressive record: the fastest serve of all time! His serve reached 253km/h in a Davis Cup match in 2016, surpassing Andy Roddick’s 249.4 km/h in 2004.
Despite his outstanding serve, Isner has never won a Grand Slam title. His best performance was a Wimbledon semi-final in 2018.
2) Pete Sampras
- Nation | United States
- Career | 1988-2002
- Aces | 8.858
Pete Sampras was one of the best tennis players in history and deservedly took second place on our list.
The American, who is considered a legend of the sport, had a powerful and lethal serve. No wonder he was nicknamed “Pistol Pete”.
Sampras was known for serving with topspin and running to the net to score points, driving his opponents crazy.
1) Ivo Karlovic
- Nation | Croatia
- Career | 2000-2021
- Aces | 13.728
We finish the top 10 with Ivo Karlovic. The Croat won simply 92% of the games he started by serving. An absurd record!
To break his serve, his opponents had to be very calm and patient, because it was one of the most difficult tasks.
Karlovic is the second player with the most aces in ATP history, with 13,728 points – only behind John Isner, with 14,470.
More – Best tennis servers
- 11) Wayne Arthurs (Australia)
- 12) Boris Becker (Germany)
- 13) Pancho Gonzalez (United States)
- 14) John McEnroe (United States)
- 15) Michael Stich (Germany)
- 16) Mark Philippoussis (Australia)
- 17) Roscoe Tanner (United States)
- 18) Slobodan Zivojinovic (Serbia)
- 19) John Newcombe (Australia)
- 20) Kevin Anderson (South Africa)
Do you agree with our top 10 best tennis players of all time? Anyone missing from the list? Let us know in the comments 👊
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