Safin has the fastest serve

[innocent]

Safin has the record for fastest serve

Safin recorded the fastest serve at this years french open at 255 kmph.
Even faster than roddicks.

Q. There was a serve that it was 255 kilometers per hour, but I don't know ‑‑ well, I saw it on the screen, so I'm not sure. Well, it's not a consolation, I know, but...

MARAT SAFIN: It doesn't help me much, but now at least I am gonna be the fastest server on the ATP Tour, which is also not bad.

 

[A D]

Did he really say that, lol.

 

[Andres]

The gun recorded 255 kph, that is right. I was watching the match, but the next serve, it recorded like 35 mph, which was absolutely inaccurate. The 160 mph serve didn't looked like a 160 to me, IMO.

 

[Jonnyf]

nah not as fast as Roddicks (saw that serve) 150's at all

 

[Andres]

Maybe the gun crashed... who can say.
I remember reading Goran saying the gun clocks the serve depending on the angle, or something like it... let me check it and i'll be back soon...

 

[Andres]

Question: What's the fastest serve you've ever had? Have you served faster that 136 m.p.h. in training?
Goran: I don't measure my speed in training, so 136 mph. at Wimbledon 1994 is my fastest serve on record.

Q: What's the secret of power and speed in serving?
G: Whenever I try to hit hard, I serve weak. When I don't worry about speed, but about the serve quality, then I serve faster. Anyway, for a fast serve you need to be relaxed- your hand needs to be loose, you must not force anything. And the speed also depends on the gun position. If the gun catches your serve at an angle, it appears slower than it is. Sometimes I feel I've hit a fast one, and it's only 110 mph. Other times the serve doesn't feel so fast, and it turns out to be 130 mph. The angle has a lot to do with it.

1995 Interview

 

[tormented_genius]

If it truely was document thing, I would believe it and not be surprised. Maybe the radar gun wasn't functioning at that time or the serve was a fault...

Andres, were you at the match live?

 

[Andres]

If it truely was document thing, I would believe it and not be surprised. Maybe the radar gun wasn't functioning at that time or the serve was a fault...

Andres, were you at the match live?

Nope, just watching it at home... you know, via TV

 

[rilokiley]

Safin doesn't usually hit in the 140-150 range. oh well it'd have been cool if it really was 160MPH

 

[safin_protege]

Maybe not the fastest, but certainly one of the best: power and accuracy combined.

 

[Andres]

Safin doesn't usually hit in the 140-150 range. oh well it'd have been cool if it really was 160MPH

Although he had. On my records, Marat's fastest serve (if we don't count this one) is a 144 mph bomb.

 

[LordRaceR]

Maybe Marat will serve even faster with PureDrive+
Prestige Classic is much low power racquet than Roddicks.
Ha, just imaging Safin with PureDrive+. Silly!!!
Luckily, that will never happen.

 

[splink779]

OK, is this an official new record? Or is someone just jerking around? And which match was it because if I have it I'm watching it again. I would be much happier with him holding the record.

 

[Grinder]

I saw that match, that serve looked way more like a 135 - 140 mph serve.

 

[tormented_genius]

I saw that match, that serve looked way more like a 135 - 140 mph serve.

I heard about a guy that was not a pro that clocked a serve at around 160mph as well, and he claimed to channel his anger into the serve. The similarities mentally are similar to Marat, so this gives more proof. Safin is an animal. Has anyone found a transcript yet where this is documented?

No matter, I agree with safin_protege's comment.

 

[doriancito]

WOW! safin....i didnt imagine it would be him....now roddick will try it

 

[akj27]

http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2001/TinaCheung.shtml

 

[Return_Ace]

thingybob was right, the gun malfunctioned (unfortuntately), the gun DID say it was 255/160, but the commentators announced that the speed gun wasn't working properly. i saw it too, especially that 35kph serve clocked next.... 35kph my ass

 

[joe1987]

So if the radar did record 160mph why didn't safin get the record?

 

[theartoftennis]

Was it even possible to serve a 163 back in '31?

 

[splink779]

Was it even possible to serve a 163 back in '31?

No, I'm pretty sure the laws of physics were different 70 years ago

 

[Vlad]

I saw enough of Marat's matches to say that he never ever will serve at 155mph.. he can consistenly hit in mid 130s and maybe up to 140-142 but thats it.. his racquet head acceleration is not as fast as Roddick's..

 

[tangerine]

I don't know if Safin had the fastest serve at RG but he does at the Legg Mason tournament: 142 mph.

 

[wings56]

ok so wtf, is safin credited with the new record or not??????

 

[sandiegotennisboy]

nothing in google saying he has the record.

 

[TrueAce]

I think Safin has the fastest backhand racquet head speed for a 2 hander....just a guess by how he can explode through the ball better than anyone..

 

[sandiegotennisboy]

its the luxilon strings.

 

[Galactus]

Safin has the 'heavier' serve....Roddick has the higher 'velocity'.

 

[mca10spro]

So, The official fastest serve is by Big Bill Tilden at 163.6 mph? Is that right? I don't even know if they had the technology to figure that out in 1931. Did they figure that out with a slide rule? Who knows if that is accurate? I think sometimes there are records with the Open Era, that do not account for earlier times. When did the open era start anyway? Wasn't it in the 60's or early 70's. Or was it closer to WWII like around 1941 or '42?

Let me know.

Mike

 

[Jonny S&V]

No. There is another thread on this subject and it was determined either that:
A. The radar guns were too inaccurate or not around at that time.
or
B. They counted how fast a serve was buy filming it and going buy how fast it went from one frame to another.
Wood racquets could never serve that fast and the fastest official recorded serve with a wood racquet was 110 mph by Pancho Gonzalez.

 

[Andres]

No. There is another thread on this subject and it was determined either that:
A. The radar guns were too inaccurate or not around at that time.
or
B. They counted how fast a serve was buy filming it and going buy how fast it went from one frame to another.
Wood racquets could never serve that fast and the fastest official recorded serve with a wood racquet was 110 mph by Pancho Gonzalez.

Mark Phillippoussis tested the diference of a woodie, and a modern, and got a 122 mph average with a woodie.

 

[The ball was in]

Mark Phillippoussis tested the diference of a woodie, and a modern, and got a 122 mph average with a woodie.

Yeah, I remember that article back in a very early issue of tennis magazine...well, early 90's....if memory serves me well, he had more accuracy with the wooden racquet than the Dunlop revelation he was playing with at that time

 

[monfils]

I saw enough of Marat's matches to say that he never ever will serve at 155mph.. he can consistenly hit in mid 130s and maybe up to 140-142 but thats it.. his racquet head acceleration is not as fast as Roddick's..

No, he just doesn't use a tweener racquet like roddick which gives hime extra power. Imagine how much faster he would serve with a babolat.

 

[superman1]

Have you served with a "tweener Babolat?" Did it automatically make your serve 15 mph faster?

No.

 

[BigServer1]

No, he just doesn't use a tweener racquet like roddick which gives hime extra power. Imagine how much faster he would serve with a babolat.

The Pure drive roddick isn't exactly a tweener. It's 11.8 strung and 5 pts head light. The head flexpoint prestige (Safin's racquet) is 12 strung and 7 pts head light. The Babolat is 2sq" bigger in the head, Roddick uses the 27.5in model, and that's it. Also, I have heard that Roddick's racquet actually weighs something like 13oz, but that could be a rumor. So I wouldn't say that his stick is a tweener. But that's just me.

 

[panic]

Safin's racquet isn't 98sqinches, its 93. Roddics racquets head is 7" bigger and the extra 0.5 inches gives the extra power. Also PD is made to be powerful and and the prestige is not. And yes, Roddics racquet could easily be 13oz, he needs weight for the serve.

 

[BigServer1]

Safin uses the presitge mid?? I always thought he used the mid plus...huh guess i was wrong.
I still dont consider the PDR a tweener though.

 

[c10]

Maybe the gun crashed... who can say.
I remember reading Goran saying the gun clocks the serve depending on the angle, or something like it... let me check it and i'll be back soon...

Although I dont know for sure how the gun works I guess it measures the speed of an object that is directly in front and moving from right to left or viceversa. So basically it measures the speed in 1 dimension, the one that is parallel to the ground (X). If a player serves totally straight the speed of the ball will be the same as the speed shown by the gun, but if the player serves in an angle the speed shown by the gun will decrease as the angle increases because now the ball is travelling in X and also moving towards the gun, but this last speed isnt recorded by the gun, so although the 2 serves land at the same speed the gun shows the 2nd serve as the weakest.

 

[monfils]

Have you served with a "tweener Babolat?" Did it automatically make your serve 15 mph faster?

No.

Roddicks racquet is not a tweener but the normal Babolat pure drive is a tweener racquet so it does give me much more power. I don't know exactly how much faster i could serve but i am pretty sure i could serve faster with a babolat pure drive. Safins Prestige classic has less power than Roddicks Pure drive.