Sam Groth. Photo / AP
Australian battler Sam Groth can boast the fastest serve in tennis after sending down a missile clocked at 263km/h during a tournament at Busan in South Korea.
Ranked No 340 in the world, 24-year-old Groth - the former husband of fellow Australian player Jarmila Gajdosova - hasn't had too much
to cheer about in his career, slogging away in second-tier Challenger events.
But governing body the ATP ensured him a moment of fame on Saturday when it announced he had clocked the fastest serve recorded at a professional tournament, far exceeding the previous best by giant Croat Ivo Karlovic, who fired down a 251km/h serve during a Davis Cup match in March last year.
It came in a straight sets second-round loss against Uladzimir Ignatik, of Belarus, in which he was also credited with serves timed at 253.5km/h and 255.7km/h.
Eurosport reports the record has risen by small amounts in recent years with improved racquet technology but the jump of 12km/h by the 193cm tall Groth is unprecedented.
