The serve is a crucial element in a tennis player’s repertoire. A good first serve can be a huge boon if it combines pace as well as accuracy. What about the second serve?
Is the second service a liability? Who has the best second serve in tennis? How helpful is a good second service? Let’s take a look at what the stats are saying.
Players dedicate a considerable amount of time honing their service skills. A strong first serve can help a player take control of the rally from the get-go. However, if the first serve goes wrong, the opponent generally comes a couple of strides forward to take advantage of the slower second serve. No player wants to risk a double fault and give a free point to the opponent.
Now which players have the best win percentage on the second serve in the Open Era? As per Redditt, 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal tops the list when it comes to most points won on the second service. He has a win percentage of 57.32. The Swiss legend Roger Federer comes a close second with a win percentage of 57.03.
Andy Roddick, John Isner, and Novak Djokovic are the next three in line with win percentages of 56.14, 56.07, and 55.15 respectively. Milos Raonic, Reilly Opelka, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Wayne Arthurs, and Stefanos Tsitsipas round up the top 10 list.
The fastest first serves of the Big 3 – Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer
The three legends have won 63 Grand Slams among them. They have broken multiple records in their careers. Let’s take a look at their fastest serves.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer has the record of clocking a 230 km/hour first serve at the 2010 Gerry Weber Open. He was 29 years old at the moment.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic’s fastest serve is of 219 km/hour which came at the 2009 Madrid Masters tournament. He was 22 years old at the time.
Rafael Nadal’s fastest serve is 217 km/hour. He hit the service at the age of 25 at the 2010 US Open.
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