The serve has always been one of the weaker strokes in women’s tennis. Lindsay Davenport has called it appalling! Through the years it has been very common to see multiple breaks within a set. The game continues to evolve, and so does the quality of the serve on the circuit. Regardless of the overall history of the serve in Women’s tennis, these ladies have been the exception to the rule, being able to ace their way out of trouble or be clinical in placement and variety in order to hold serve.

5. Naomi Osaka. I had to have a newcomer on this list, and who better than Naomi Osaka. The way she dominates her service games reminds me of Serena Williams. She’s got the placement, power and follows up that set up with that massive forehand. She can only get more dominant on her serve as she matures.

4. Venus Williams. Coming in at 6’ 2’ Venus was made to serve with power and placement. It was her ability to dominate on the serve that won her five Wimbledon titles during her career. Of note, Venus holds the record for fastest serve at the 2008 Wimbledon (129 MPH) and 2007 US Open (129 MPH).

3. Martina Navratilova. Martina is not synonymous with the term “power game.” However, she brought a new level of professionalism and athleticism to the game – in addition to a meticulous serve and volley game that allowed her to tally Grand Slam titles in both doubles and singles. However, without that wonderful placement on her serve, that next volley would never have happened. This is why she’s third on our list.

2. Steffi Graf. The serve is not synonymous with the player as it is with Serena Williams. Make no mistake though, Graf’s serve sole purpose was to set her up for that massive forehand, which in my opinion is the best ever. The one two punch was the deadliest of all time.

1. Serena Williams. Nobody doubts that Serena has the best serve in Women’s tennis history. She has pace, placement, power, and spin variation. The power is what is so impressive though, especially consistent power. There are players like Sabine Lisicki that can rip a serve at 131 MPH, but can she power through as consistently as Serena? No, she can’t. This is why Serena’s serve is the best serve ever.

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