He broke the record for the fastest serve in tennis history but the ATP doesn’t recognize it

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John Isner holds the official record for the fastest tennis serve of all time at 157 mph.

ATP players spend their time chasing titles and records, and often it’s the same names that you see at the top of the leaderboards.

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer, hold several records in the sport, having dominated tennis for much of the 21st Century.

Some are reserved for slightly more obscure players, however, as serving legends Ivo Karlovic and Isner hold many records, relating to aces and serve speed.

Isner in particular, holds the record for the fastest official serve in ATP history, smashing down a 157 mph serve at the Davis Cup in 2016.

A monstrous serve, but one that was six miles per hour slower than what a certain Australian produced back in 2012.

Sam Groth: The man with the ‘unofficial’ fastest serve in tennis history

At an ATP Challenger event in Busan, South Korea, back in 2012, Sam Groth recorded the fastest serve the sport has ever seen.

Down three match points against his Belarussian opponent Uladzimir Ihantsik, Groth literally threw caution to the wind as he thundered down a record-breaking 163 mph ace.

The Australian would’ve broken the record had the serve taken place at an ATP Tour event, however, as his serve was on the Challenger Tour, his achievement is not officially recognized.

This is due to a lack of necessary checks on the equipment that monitors the speed of the serves, however there has been no suggestion that the serve speed was illegitimate.

To add insult to injury for Groth, he went on to lose the match 4-6, 3-6.

With an ‘unofficial’ record to his name, what would Groth go on to achieve on the ATP Tour?

After toiling on the Challenger Tour for most of his early years as a professional, Groth had a career-best year in 2015, as he rose to just outside the world’s top 50.

The Australian did so by reaching the third round of his home Australian Open and Wimbledon later that same year.

Groth never won a singles title on the ATP Tour but did achieve success in doubles, winning two ATP 250 titles with his partner Chris Guccione as he rose to a career-high ranking of 24th in the world.

The 6ft 4 Aussie retired from active competition in 2018, after he lost to current world number four Taylor Fritz in Australian Open qualifying at the age of just 31.

What perhaps makes the story of Groth most interesting is not just what he achieved on the court, but what he decided to do when he hung up his racket.

Whilst many players try their hand at commentary or coaching, Groth threw himself into the world of politics, where he has made quite the name for himself.

Swapping rackets and a T-shirt, for suits and manifestos, Groth was elected as a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 2022.

Following the election, the former world number 53 was appointed as Shadow Minister for Youth, and Shadow Minister for Tourism, Sport and Events.

Who knows how far Groth’s political career will go, but if his serving is anything to go by, he could go on to do big things.

Which active ATP player has the fastest serve?

Whilst Groth and Isner can debate each other as to who holds the record for the fastest serve in tennis history, who is the fastest server that remains active on the ATP Tour?

The likes of Isner, Karlovic, and Querrey, have all retired from the sport, having smashed down aces at will for the majority of their careers, but there are plenty of fresh faces more than ready to pick up where they left off.

Several familiar faces make up the top ten with top five stars Fritz and Alexander Zverev both serving 147mph serves.

A new name near the top of the list is Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who made headlines with his serving earlier this year at the Basel Open, on his way to the title.

Certainly a name to watch out for in 2025, as he prepares for his first full year on the ATP Tour.

There are a whole host of big servers left on the ATP Tour, but none have even come close to Groth’s mammoth 163 mph effort.