The game of tennis requires a lot of skill and athleticism, but one weapon that has the potential to make or break a player’s game is their serve.

In the 2000s, we saw some incredible female tennis players who served up some of the most powerful and precise serves the game has ever seen. From Venus Williams to Maria Sharapova, these women had a serve that could leave even the toughest opponents bewildered. Let’s take a closer look at the best women tennis servers of the 2000s, and see what made them stand out from the rest.

Venus Williams
Known for her height and powerful serve, Venus Williams was one of the most dominant players of the 2000s – winning multiple US Open and Wimbledon titles. Her serve was a force to be reckoned with, and she could consistently hit serves over 120 mph. What made her serve so effective was her use of angles and variety. She could hit a flat, hard serve down the middle, and then follow it up with a well-placed, slice serve out wide. She also had a great second serve, which could propel her into an offensive position to put her opponent in a defensive position right away.

Serena Williams
We cannot talk about women’s tennis servers of the 2000s without mentioning Serena Williams. Serena had a very similar serve to her sister Venus, but what made hers stand out was the sheer power she put behind every shot. Her serves would often clock in at over 125 mph, and she could place them with incredible accuracy. She also had a killer second serve that had a surprising amount of spin, making it very tough for opponents to return. Serena at the top of her game was almost impossible to break. This in turn put so much pressure on her opponent’s serves right away. It’s one of the reasons she won more than 20 Grand Slams in her career. As a side note, it is interesting that both Williams sisters chose Wilson rackets as their weapons of choice, specifically the Wilson Blade.

Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova may have retired in 2020, but during her career, she was one of the most lethal servers on the women’s tour. Known for her loud grunts, Sharapova’s serve had a lot of power and was already intimidating before she even hit the ball. She could hit her first serve over 120 mph and her second serve over 100 mph. Sharapova combined her power with incredible accuracy, which made her serve very tough to return. As many already know, it was her powerful serve that propelled her to her great results at Wimbledon where the surface is fast and unforgiving.

Lindsay Davenport
Although she was not as flashy as some of the other players on this list, Lindsay Davenport’s serve was second to none. She had a very consistent serve, which was very hard to read. She could hit a flat serve down the T or a slice serve out wide with equal ease. Davenport was also an expert in setting up her serve, using her big forehand to set up easy put-away volleys.

Karolina Pliskova
Karolina Pliskova is one of the newer names on this list, but she has already established herself as one of the best servers in the game. Her serve is an absolute weapon, and she can hit it up to 130 mph. What makes her serve unique is the height she can get on it, which makes it come down at a sharp angle. Pliskova also has an incredible second serve, which has a lot of spin and can make opponents uncomfortable. Unfortunately for Pliskova, a Grand Slam has eluded her. One has to wonder if she would have dominated at Wimbledon in the 80s and 90s when the court was quicker.

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