A big serve almost feels necessary for tennis stars to play at the highest level.
Though there are, and have been, plenty of players who can get by on the ATP Tour with a slower serve, one look at the top of the rankings will tell you how important the shot is in today’s game.
Even in an era where courts on the tour are slowing down, big servers are prevalent within the top 50 in the world.
Carlos Alcaraz‘s team certainly understand this, as the Spaniard’s serve has improved massively over the last year, which ultimately helped him reclaim world number one status.
Though Alcaraz’s serve has come on leaps and bounds this season, it does not quite rank within the top five. His rival, Jannik Sinner, does, however.
5. Reilly Opelka
Though he is arguably the biggest server on the ATP Tour, Laver Cup champion Reilly Opelka ranks fifth in serve rating, with a score of 293.7.
Serve rating takes into account the first serve percentage, the percentage of first and second serve points won, the percentage of service games won, average double faults per match and average aces per match.
Opelka tops the tour in the latter, having recorded 16.1 average aces per match over the course of the season.
What has been the biggest shock of the 2025 season?
4. Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is not known for his serve, but he has worked on the shot a lot over the years, and in 2025, he ranks fourth in serve rating, scoring 294.0.
The Serb does not even make the top 80 when it comes to average aces per match, but excels in a number of key categories.
Djokovic has the fourth-highest percentage of second-serve points won and the fourth-highest percentage of service games won this year.
3. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
The term ‘serve bot’ is one you can apply to many in men’s tennis, but perhaps none more so than Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who enjoyed a serve rating of 296.8 in 2025.
Mpetshi Perricard broke the record this year for the fastest serve ever hit at Wimbledon, firing a 153 mph laser at the All England Club.
The Frenchman has a service games won percentage of 89.0%, and ranks third in average aces per match, with 13.5.
2. Taylor Fritz
Surprisingly, the man who returned Mpetshi Perricard’s 153 mph first serve at Wimbledon had a higher serve rating than him this season; Taylor Fritz with 296.8.
The American ranks second in both percentage of first serve points won and percentage of service games won, tallying 79.4% and 89.2%, respectively.
Fritz, the world number four, enjoyed another solid year on the tour, and his big serve saw him put together an impressive grass court swing, having won the Eastbourne Open before reaching the semifinals of Wimbledon.
Higher or Lower – Tennis Grand Slam Quiz
1. Jannik Sinner
No player has a more effective serve than Sinner, however, who recorded the highest serve rating, with 297.4.
Sinner leads the tour in percentage of both first and second serve points won, as well as service games won.
Not only does the Italian dominate his opponents with one of the best baseline games the sport has seen in years, but he also has, statistically, the best serve in the world.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
