WIMBLEDON, England — Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard hit the fastest serve ever recorded at Wimbledon on Monday, clocking 153 mph (246 kph) in the first round.
The 6-foot-8 Mpetshi Perricard recorded the serve in the first set of his first-round match against American Taylor Fritz, and hit another 151 mph.
The new mark breaks the previous record of 148 mph set by American Taylor Dent in 2010. Tracking of serves began at Wimbledon in 1991.
The first-round match between the two men was postponed shortly after 10:20 p.m. local time, tied at two sets apiece. Mpetshi Perricard took the first two sets 7-6 (8), 7-6 (10) but Fritz leveled it by taking the next two 6-4, 7-6 (6).
Playing with the No. 1 Court retractable roof closed and artificial lights on, Mpetshi Perricard was two points from winning while leading 5-2 in the fourth-set tiebreaker, but never got closer.
From 6-all in the fourth set tiebreak, 2024 US Open runner-up Fritz took the next two points to force a fifth set and pounded his right fist on his chest, yelling, “Let’s [expletive] go! Come on!”
The decision to postpone the match until Tuesday was greeted with booing from the crowd on Court No. 1, and Fritz appeared to want the match to continue. He looked toward his guest box with his palms up and said: “I couldn’t do anything. I tried.”
Wimbledon has an 11 p.m. local curfew, and matches can be stopped before then if the umpire believes there is a good chance they will not finish on time.
Over at Centre Court, Monday’s last match also was halted, with No. 3 Alexander Zverev, a three-time major finalist, even at a set apiece against Arthur Rinderknech when they stopped at 10:54 p.m. local time.
There were no breaks of serve in either of the two sets they played. Rinderknech took the first 7-6 (3), and Zverev the second by a 7-6 (8) score.
In addition to the speed record, Mpetshi Perricard served 33 aces against Fritz, who had 24 himself and has not faced a single break point on his serve.
Fritz, a 27-year-old Californian, was a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon in 2022, losing to Rafael Nadal, and again a year ago, losing to Lorenzo Musetti.
The 21-year-old Mpetshi Perricard, who is No. 36 in the ATP rankings, topped Wimbledon service speeds in 2024 at 140 mph. American Ben Shelton was initially recorded at 153 mph last year, but his serve was later corrected to 132 mph because of a tracking malfunction.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
