Average serve speeds in both men’s and women’s tennis have increased significantly over the years so, in this article, I thought it would be fun to have a look at how fast some of the top pro players on the ATP and WTA Tours hit their serve.
For this article, I have looked at the average tennis serve speed of the top 20 players on the ATP and WTA Tours as well as a select number of popular players that are currently outside the top 20 or have recently retired such as Roger Federer and Serena Williams.
Tennis Serve Speed Averages
The serve speed information below was sourced from data released by the tournament organizers of the 2022 Australian Open.
If a player did not play in the 2022 Australian Open then I have used data from the last grand slam tournament they participated in.
These players have been marked with a “*” next to their names.
Average Serve Speeds in Men’s Tennis
The average 1st serve speed for the top men’s players listed below was 188km/h (117mph) while the average second serve speed was 154km/h (96mph).
The average speed for second serves above may seem low but there are far fewer players like Pete Sampras who often hit second serves nearly as fast as his first serves.
Reilly Opelka had the fastest average 1st serve at 203km/h (126mph) while John Isner had the fastest average 2nd serve at 182km/h (113mph).
| Male Player | 1st Serve Average Speed | 2nd Serve Average Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic1 | 186km/h (115mph) | 148km/h (92mph) |
| Daniil Medvedev | 195km/h (121mph) | 153km/h (95mph) |
| Alexander Zverev | 186km/h (115mph) | 142km/h (88mph) |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | 196km/h (122mph) | 155km/h (96mph) |
| Rafael Nadal | 187km/h (116mph) | 162km/h (101mph) |
| Matteo Berrettini | 195km/h (121mph) | 161km/h (100mph) |
| Andrey Rublev | 191km/h (118mph) | 144km/h (89mph) |
| Casper Ruud1 | 182km/h (113mph) | 150km/h (93mph) |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime | 198km/h (123mph) | 166km/h (103mph) |
| Jannik Sinner | 187km/h (116mph) | 151km/h (94mph) |
| Hubert Hurkacz | 189km/h (117mph) | 150km/h (93mph) |
| Denis Shapovalov | 195km/h (121mph) | 161km/h (100mph) |
| Cameron Norrie | 182km/h (113mph) | 141km/h (87mph) |
| Diego Schwartzman | 167km/h (104mph) | 138km/h (86mph) |
| Aslan Karatsev | 187km/h (116mph) | 161km/h (100mph) |
| Roberto Bautista Agut | 175km/h (109mph) | 149km/h (92mph) |
| Taylor Fritz | 193km/h (120mph) | 157km/h (98mph) |
| Pablo Carreno Busta | 177km/h (110mph) | 143km/h (89mph) |
| Cristian Garin | 187km/h (116mph) | 155km/h (96mph) |
| Reilly Opelka | 203km/h (126mph) | 165km/h (103mph) |
| John Isner | 198km/h (123mph) | 182km/h (113mph) |
| Andy Murray | 186km/h (115mph) | 145km/h (90mph) |
| Roger Federer2 | 182km/h (113mph) | 154km/h (96mph) |
| Carlos Alcaraz1 | 177km/h (110mph) | 151km/h (94mph) |
| Holger Rune1 | 183km/h (114mph) | 162km/h (101mph) |
| Nick Kyrgios1 | 196km/h (122mph) | 164km/h (102mph) |
1. The average speed for Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud was calculated using data from their matches at the 2021 US Open and for Carlos Alcaraz, Nick Kyrgios, and Holger Rune at the 2022 US Open.
2. The average speed for Roger Federer was calculated using data from his matches at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships.
Average Serve Speeds in Women’s Tennis
The average 1st serve speed for the top women’s players listed below was 160km/h (99mph) while the average 2nd serve speed was 136km/h (84mph).
Ash Barty and Elena Rybakina had the fastest average 1st serve at 171km/h (106mph) while Aryna Sabalenka had the fastest average 2nd serve at 151km/h (94mph).
| Female Player | 1st Serve Average Speed | 2nd Serve Average Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Ash Barty | 171km/h (106mph) | 142km/h (88mph) |
| Aryna Sabalenka | 170km/h (105mph) | 151km/h (94mph) |
| Barbora Krejcikova | 159km/h (99mph) | 144km/h (89mph) |
| Karolína Plískova3 | 167km/h (104mph) | 137km/h (85mph) |
| Paula Badosa | 162km/h (101mph) | 139km/h (86mph) |
| Anett Kontaveit | 160km/h (99mph) | 138km/h (85mph) |
| Garbiñe Muguruza | 160km/h (99mph) | 133km/h (82mph) |
| Maria Sakkari | 168km/h (105mph) | 136km/h (84mph) |
| Iga Swiatek | 162km/h (101mph) | 129km/h (80mph) |
| Ons Jabeur3 | 155km/h (96mph) | 127km/h (79mph) |
| Danielle Collins | 162km/h (101mph) | 131km/h (81mph) |
| Emma Raducanu | 150km/h (93mph) | 136km/h (84mph) |
| Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova | 151km/h (94mph) | 131km/h (81mph) |
| Jessica Pegula | 160km/h (99mph) | 131km/h (81mph) |
| Elina Svitolina | 156km/h (97mph) | 124km/h (77mph) |
| Elena Rybakina | 171km/h (106mph) | 133km/h (82mph) |
| Victoria Azarenka | 160km/h (99mph) | 129km/h (80mph) |
| Angelique Kerber | 144km/h (89mph) | 123km/h (76mph) |
| Leylah Fernandez | 156km/h (97mph) | 146km/h (91mph) |
| Coco Gauff | 164km/h (102mph) | 145km/h (90mph) |
| Serena Williams4 | 162km/h (101mph) | 145km/h (90mph) |
3. The average speed for Karolína Plískova and Ons Jabeur was calculated using data from their matches in the 2021 US Open.
4. The average speed for Serena Williams (1st: 162km/h (101mph), 2nd: 145km/h (90mph)) was calculated using data from her match at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships.