Who in your opinion has the best ever serve? You can vote for up to 3 people but if you vote 'other', please create a post to specify who the other is :)

I voted for Sharapova as i think her serve is not yet at its best but will become one of the greats in the future

Serena Williams has the best serve of all time.

Superb placement, her slice on the deuce court especially is sick and her kick is the best on tour as well. When she is playing properly she is usually head and shoulders above the rest on the ace count.

In Aus this year I think she got 67 or something - a little over 9 aces a match. The best I have ever seen was 17 aces in one match. That's frankly ridiculous.

One to watch - vs. Davenport US semi 02 for a serving masterclass although she has had many more.

Sharapova second serve ace

Sharapova service action

veus service action

graf serve

Quite a hard one this...
Venus, Sharapova.. both fantastic serves when on song but both, especially Shazza's) can break down and the double faults can flow.
I would go for Serena but her serve just doesn't stick in my mind as a great one.. it is a nice consistently fluid movement and I know she can hammer it down but it just doesn't do it for me.
I think I will have to go with Venus, watching her blast down the serve's at Wimbledon this year so consistently was something pretty great to see.
She puts her all into it and the majority of the time comes off great.
I vote Venus.

Problem for Venus is she could get an ace kick serve because of her height but she just hasn't incorporated that into her technique.

Serena's is much more fluid, greater variation, great clutch serve.

She serves more aces than Venus or anyone in a Grandslam usually. This years AO final she had a 9/10 service performance and even that was huge...aces galore.

Hands Down the Greatest Womans serve ever.

I guess its probable with Serena that hers doesn't stick in my mind because it is that consistently good.. just does it all right.

As i said on another thread, Sharapova has been hitting consistantly high percentages on her first serve the last few months, which is why im so impressed with her. Yes shes only using 3/4 of her power to hit them, but if she can be as consistant when her shoulder allows her to play 100% then watch out. Justines first serve is pretty good now, but she is lucky if she hits more than 50%in during a match. I agree Serenas serve is the best ever, but Masha is the one to watch

Another interesting one here. I voted Serena Williams, slightly reluctantly. I think she has the best form. What is interesting here is Sampras' influence on the "Ladies"

Because Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Lindsay Davenport have all used Sampras' serve as a model for their serve. And unlike so many women players. these 3 ladies are able to hit the kick serve to the forehand in the ad court, very much a Sampras trait, and they all win an incredible amount of free points there on the 2nd serve because most players always expect the 2nd serve to the backhand on the ad point, one of the reasons why Pete's serve is so great is that he was able at will to the to the kicker to the forehand on the second serve, getting many 2nd serve aces because it had a bit of slice for control, something davenport has mastered.

And consequently i voted for Davenport as other because I think here first and secod serve package is tremendous. I agree entirely with Liam, Sharapova's serve will go down as one of the great serves. Kuznetsova has had abdominal problems and arm problems this year which has affected her serve, but when fully fit, she has one of the best serves in the world, because she combines pace with spin making for a heavy serve, especially on second serve

Davenport v Myskina 2005 Filderstadt quarterfinal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIU9JEjlBWQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZDH51OMpOk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRN8YntB3TA

Navratilova v Graf 1993 Tokyo semiifinal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdNAF0NghjA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUKdJAVCnTE

2004 YEC final Sharapova v Serena

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRyIAWDPZxc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ90Nh7G_Fw

Brenda Schultz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkq5iEooWJo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDdSRW3cBwo

as much as i love Linds, her service action always looks too strained to me. Its like when you go shopping and you have too many carrier bags and it hurts your arms when you lift them up :(

I want to say Bingo wings...
But I won't cos I like Lindsay :P
Hope she plays a lot next year..

sharapova cannot hit a kick serve properly.

Of course, if we are to talk second serves then i would definately put Mary on the shortlist :)

I think Lindsay has a very smooth motion on her serve.

There was a lovely photo of her serving some years back when it looked like she was smiling when she was about to serve. I like her service action.

Smile? I always think she looks like she is in pain :wacko:

I had a similar look on my face when i broke my wrist!!!

Yeah, ok. :whistle:

But this photo reflects my views much better




By the way, if you don't like Lindsay's motion that's fine. So what, its no big deal. We all have different opinions on every topic under the sun.

i like the serve itself, linds is one of my fave ever players. i just think she looks like she puts so much effort into it, which of course is no bad thing!!!

Even as a Venus fan, it's the Serena serve that is and will remain the best serve ever in women's tennis. She just has so many options on serve- slice, kicker, flat. You never get the same patterns of serve off Serena too, always changing up the direction thus keeping her opponents guessing all the time.

The accuracy is key too, so close to both lines, be it out-wide on the deuce court( has mastered that serve in recent years), or flat down the middle on the Ad court. Also hit with such power too, due to the beautiful action she's got. Look how the legs and the shoulders merge into the shot producing great power and racquet head speed. It's just absolutely flawless too. Almost never breaks down, due to the depth of her second serve too. An unbelievable serve in the crunch :bow:

Serena doesn't hit it flat down the ad court, she serves in the classic way, standing close to the centre line, adding slice for control so the ball swings away from the opponent.

But down the middle, she will usually hit it more flatter, especially on big points ;)

Ok, you mean the deuce court?

She to me always looked like a cheshire cat :chesire: when serving with that wry grin.Its sort of a sadistic look in my view especially when she is winning.It look s like she is enjoying destroying them a bit too much.But I relate to what Laurie is saying. :ok:

Lol at the poll outcome...we need more votes cause the answers are just plain wrong.