#2 Venus Williams
Venus Williams is a hard server. That’s an understatement. She consistently raises fast, powerful serves, and until Sabine Lisicki came along, Venus held the record for the fastest serve of all-time in women’s tennis.
She’s one of the tallest players in the business at 6’1’’, and Venus’ height has aided significantly in her serves.
Focusing on the way she holds her racquet, Venus adopts the famous Eastern Grip, which is when the racquet is held on the third bevel – quite a low grip, which she has said is not necessarily conducive to carrying on rallies, because it does not offer as much control as a player would like.
As I wrote earlier, there are many different serves a tennis player can adopt, and while someone like Sam Stosur, for instance, prefers a kick serve, Venus’ serves tend to be flat, and aimed towards the body of her rivals. That, she says, weakens the ball for her opponent, leading to less-than-ideal returns for them.
Key also is how Venus positions herself. Standing further away from the centre of the baseline than most players, the older Williams sister then angles her serve and tosses the ball straight upwards – which she says is ideal. This default serve doesn’t necessarily generate much spin, but is perfectly slotted. She has often said how hitting it at the right time ensures maximum results, which is why the tall ace reaches for when the ball is at its highest point during the toss.
There’s an intricacy to Venus Williams’ serve that few players exhibit, showing exactly why she is considered one of the best servers in the business.
Venus Williams and Father Richard recall one match that 7-time Grand Slam champion "should have won"
