What's your average serving speed?

[SretiCentV]

If you serve flat (little or no kick) and your serve bounces once in the box then hits towards the bottom of a fence that is 21 feet behind the baseline, what the minimum speed it needs to be traveling?

 

[mTm28]

I'm quite proud of my serve. The fastest ive ever hit is 118 first serve, my second is only about 85ish but thats not too bad.

 

[5263]

A few years ago I was clocked by one of my high school players at 96mph. He stood at the net and pointed the radar gun at me like one would at a baseball game behind home plate. I hit numerous serves in the high 80's and low 90's. He hit serves in the low 100's and his highest was 107 if I recall. These serves seemed huge to me, but most top wta players have a 107 mph serve in the bag whenever they want it. It was funny because Hingis was attempting her comeback and the talk was centered around her anemic game and serve in particular. With all of that, I think Hingis has (or had) a 107 mph serve or better, maybe not consistently, but on a given serve.
In my own game, my serve is a fair piece slower that those max figures most of the time. I find it works better to serve at red-line as a change-up than a steady serve; plus I'm a lefty so a slower spinnier serve pays off for me more than a flat "cannonball" on a regular basis.
GP

Using your radar method, your serves around 90 would mostly convert to the 100 range if they were measured as they are on the ATP tour. A baseball is able to maintain it's speed much longer than a tennis ball. A tennis ball loses it top end speed very, very quickly and even more so the faster it is going from the start.

 

[dcmetro102]

I guess I have to work on my serve. I only pull them at around the 80's

 

[ksixone95]

I'm roughly at 75 mph first, 60 mph second.

I measured.

Pathetic, I know.

 

[5263]

If you serve flat (little or no kick) and your serve bounces once in the box then hits towards the bottom of a fence that is 21 feet behind the baseline, what the minimum speed it needs to be traveling?

A common rule of thumb (not an exact science),

for a normal flat 1st serve attempt that hits in the svc box,
then the 21' away back fence "solidly" on one bounce on hard court,
(opposed to barely making it on the way down)
will normally be in the 100 mph "range" ,
(possibly slightly less)

as compared to the ATP system of measuring the speed right off the racket face.
( it will not be 100 mph as measured by a speed trac on the wrong side of the net unless it is well over 100)

-had to really spell it out, as there are some who think for every exception they can come up with, somehow that affects a rule of thumb.