Top five fastest serves in Australian Open history ft. Marius Copil, Ben Shelton

Record for the fastest serve at the Australian Open was set by Marius Copil in 2015.

Beginning with a good serve translates into half the job being done. It eases the pressure on the server, and consistently superior service games alter the dynamics of a match. Advancements in racquet technology have pushed the limits of the speed at which serves are unleashed. In the modern era, the service speed from the racquets of professional players on tour averages 200 km/h (125 mph), though it routinely encroaches on the 220 km/h (136 mph) mark. 

With the upcoming Australian Open fast approaching, Melbourne shall witness the cream of the tennis stars pound the hard courts of Melbourne Park with their booming serves and elegant tennis strokes once again. 

Also Read: Top five oldest winners of ATP Finals

Here we take a look at the curated list of the top five fastest servers in the Australian Open history. 

Hubert Hurkacz – 226 km/h (140 mph) – 2024 Australian Open

Polish player Hubert Hurkacz is no stranger to cranking out quick serves. The 2023 serve leader on the ATP Leaderboard makes the list with a 226 km/h serve at the 2024 Australian Open. It came in the opening round in Melbourne against Australian Omar Jasika, whom he defeated 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-2. The Pole reached the last eight, losing to Daniil Medvedev in five sets.

His fastest serve remains the 243 km/h (151 mph) missile he unleashed at the 2016 Davis Cup against Argentina.

Ben Shelton – 231 km/h (143 mph) – 2024 Australian Open

The fastest serve honour at the 2024 Australian Open goes to Ben Shelton. His fastest serve earned him the top spot just ahead of Hurkacz and came in his third-round match against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. However, Shelton could not find a way past Mannarino, making a third-round exit in five sets with the scoreline reading 6-7(4), 6-1, 7-6(2), 3-6, 4-6.

The 22-year-old American one-upped himself at Wimbledon later in the year, unleashing a 246 km/h (153 mph) serve on the iconic grass courts in London. It came during his second-round face-off against South African qualifier Lloyd Harris.

Milos Raonic – 235 km/h (146 mph) – 2017 Australian Open

Veteran Canadian tennis player Milos Raonic served at a speed of 235 km/h to reach the quarter-finals at the 2017 Australian Open. He would go no further as he lost to Rafael Nadal in three sets, 4-6, 6-7(7), 4-6. 

The fastest serve clocked by Raonic came later in the year at the Citi Open in Washington DC. It jiggled the radar at an astounding 243 km/h (151 mph)

Reilly Opelka – 240 km/h (149 mph) – 2021 Australian Open

Reilly Opelka, who stands 6’11” tall, clocked the second-fastest serve in Melbourne. The 240 km/h serve came at the 2021 edition of the Australian Open. The American’s average first serve speed that season was 211 km/h. Opelka made short work of Yen-Hsun Lu in the opening round before losing to Taylor Fritz in the second round. 

Opelka’s second-fastest serve came in the 2022 Sydney Classics, clocking only a slightly slower 237.0 km/h (147 mph).

Marius Copil – 242 km/h (150 mph) – 2015 Australian Open

Marius Copil owns the biggest serve at Melbourne, the Australian Open venue, in the 2015 edition. Copil fired a serve that was tracked as touching 242 km/h (150 mph) against Swiss player Stan Wawrinka. Unfortunately for Copil, his serving capabilities could not come to his aid in finding a way past Wawrinka. The Romanian crashed out in the second round after a 7-6(4), 7-6(4), 6-3 loss.

Copil’s fastest recorded serve came at the 2016 European Open in the quarter-finals, clocking 244 km/h (151).

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