5 craziest tennis stats of all-time
Tennis is a sport of figures, numbers, and stats where records are made and broken almost every single day. Here is a list of the five craziest stats in the history of tennis.
5. Maria Sharapova's 101 decibel grunt
Former World No.1 Maria Sharapova recorded the loudest grunt by a tennis player during her match at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships. The volume of the grunt touched 101 decibels, which is louder than an ambulance siren and even the sound of a small aircraft landing.
4. Sam Groth's 263.44 km/hr serve
The fastest ever recorded serve came from the tennis racquet of Australian player Sam Groth. It was recorded at 263.44 km/hr and came at an ITF Challenger tennis event in 2012.
In contrast, the average first-serve speed of a male tennis player is usually between 190-200 km/hr. The speed of Groth's serve was equivalent to that of a bullet train.
3. A 32 minute Grand Slam final
22-time Grand Slam winner Steffi Graf humiliated Natasha Zvereva 6-0, 6-0 in the finals of Roland Garros in 1988. It was not just a double-bagel but the shortest recorded Grand Slam final in the history of tennis; it lasted just 32 minutes.
Intriguingly, Zvereva, who knocked out Martina Navratilova in the first round at Roland Garros that year, managed to win just 13 points in the whole match. Not only is the match historic because it was one of the shortest, but also because of the sheer dominance Graf exhibited on court that day.
2. Rafael Nadal v Nikoloz Basilashvili: Roland Garros 2017
This match was significant as Rafael Nadal was returning to Roland Garros after retiring in the middle of the tournament the year before. He was up against Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round and what happened took everyone by surprise.
Nadal won more points on return (41) than Basilashvili managed to win during the whole match (36). The match ended 6-0, 6-1, 6-0.
1. Roger Federer's streak of 105 points
20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer tops yet another list. During the 2007 US Open, Federer won an incredible 105 consecutive points without committing a single unforced error.
It is certainly one of those records that is unlikely to be broken any time soon. Federer ultimately defeated Novak Djokovic in the finals to win the US Open that year.
Also read: 7 Tennis players to watch out for in 2022