5 fastest serves in Women's tennis history
A good start to a match in any sport is important to gain confidence and keep some momentum and in tennis, a good start to a match is always built through a powerful and precise serve. Players like Margaret Court, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, and Monica Seles made Women’s tennis very exciting to watch and the present players including Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Angelique Kerber, Maria Sharapova, etc have carried on that legacy.
One of the many things that have advanced in Women’s tennis in recent times has been the service speeds of the players. As a matter of fact, all of the Top 10 serves in Women’s tennis history have been recorded within the last ten years. Here are the Top five serves in Women’s tennis history
#5. 126 mph by Brenda Schultz-McCarthy
Brenda Schultz-McCarthy is one of Netherlands’ most famed tennis players and achieved a career-high ranking of World No.9 in May 1996, shortly after reaching the quarter-finals of Wimbledon and US Open. Schultz-McCarthy was known for her fast serve but did not record her fastest serve until the twilight of her career.
It was the 2007 Indian Wells Masters and the 36-year old Dutchwoman had qualified for the tournament as a wildcard. In the first round, Schultz-McCarthy was up against another wildcard, USA’s Bethanie Mattek-Sands and during that match, she hit a serve recorded at 126 mph (202.7 km/h).
Schultz-McCarthy went on to lose the match 6-1, 6-1 but her serve remains to be the sixth-fastest serve in Women’s tennis history.