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So to mark the start of Wimbledon, we’re celebrating all things fast about the oldest and most iconic tennis tournament in the world.
Fastest serve at Wimbledon – men’s
148 mph – Taylor Dent | The current Wimbledon record for the fastest serve of 148 mph was set by American Taylor Dent against Novak Djokovic in 2010. Despite the record-shattering serve, Dent was beaten 7-6, 6-1, 6-4 by the then world No3 Djokovic.
Fastest serve at Wimbledon – women’s
129mph – Venus Williams | Venus Williams clocked the incredible 129mph serve against her sister Serena during the 2008 Wimbledon final. Defending champion Venus retained the Wimbledon title with a straight sets win over her sister.
Fastest match at Wimbledon – men’s
- The 1881 Wimbledon final saw William Renshaw defeat John Hartley, 6–0, 6–1, 6–1 in a match that lasted just 36 minutes.
- Fred Perry defeated Gottfried von Cramm, 6–1, 6–1, 6–0, in the 1936 Wimbledon final in 40 minutes.
- More recently, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated Bernard Tomic in the first round of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships 6–2, 6–1, 6–4 in just under an hour at 58 minutes. Tomic was however later fined for a lack of effort…
Fastest match at Wimbledon – women’s
- During the 1969 tournament, Sue Tutt brushed aside Marion Boundy 6–2, 6–0 in just 20 minutes.
- The 1922 Wimbledon final saw Suzanne Lenglen defeat Molla Mallory, 6–2, 6–0, in 23 minutes.
- In the 1925 Wimbledon final Suzanne Lenglen defeated Joan Fry 6–2, 6–0 in 25 minutes.
Fastest game at Wimbledon
Lukas Rosol v Rafa Nadal 2012 | Clocking in at under 50 seconds, could this be the quickest game in Wimbledon history?
Fastest roof at Wimbledon
The retractable roof over Wimbledon’s Centre Court can be closed in just 10 minutes when rain starts to fall – minimising hold-ups for the court’s 15,000 spectators. But the total time for the transfer between outside and inside play can be up to 45 minutes, with the air conditioning needing time to acclimatise to indoor play.
The speed of the roof closing means that fans don’t need to pack wet weather gear and players don’t need to rush off court.
Fastest bird at Wimbledon
Rufus the hawk is a Harris’s hawk used by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club to keep pigeons away from the courts. A now vital member of the Wimbledon family, fast-flying Rufus has been deterring unwanted feathered visitors for fifteen years.
Fastest strawberry delivery
To ensure the highest levels of freshness, strawberries served to spectators at Wimbledon are picked at 4.00am, collected from the packing plant at 9.00am and delivered to the Club for inspection and preparation. They are then served en masse to spectators on the same day, as almost 200,000 portions of strawberries & cream are consumed during the championship!
