Any good tennis player knows that serving is an essential part of winning, and being able to score off a serve may give players of all skill levels a significant edge. The top 10 players with the most aces in a match in tennis history are listed in this article. Read on to learn all about them.

Best 10 ranked tennis players with most aces in a match — Tennis players with the most aces in a single match: Nicholas Mahut in 2021(L), Ivo Karlovic in 2019(C), and John Isner in 2023(R). Photo: Darrian Traynor, Alex Morton, Phil Walter/ Getty Images
Source: Getty Images

Table of Сontents:

Players with the most aces in a match in tennis history
1. 10. Goran Ivanisevic
1. 9. Alexander Bublik
1. 8. Richard Krajicek
1. 7. Kevin Anderson
1. 6. Roger Federer
1. 5. Albano Olivetti
1. 4. Reilly Opelka
1. 3. Ivo Karlović
1. 2. Nicolas Mahut
1. 1. John Isner

Trivia
1. How many aces does Milos Raonic have?
1. How many aces does Djokovic have?
1. Serena Williams' most aces in a match

Final word

What is an ace? In tennis, a player gets an ace when he or she hits a legitimate serve that goes unreturned, immediately giving the serving player the point. In their pursuit of tennis greatness, many have challenged themselves to see who can rack up the most in a match.

Players with the most aces in a match in tennis history

Based on historical data available as of the publication date, the records covered in this article relate to the most number of aces served in a single tennis match. The top ten tennis players all-time for most aces in a single match are shown below.

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Name of player	No. of aces in a match
Goran Ivanisevic	46
Alexander Bublik	48
Richard Krajicek	49
Kevin Anderson	49
Roger Federer	50
Albano olivetti	56
Reilly opelka	67
Ivo Karlović	78
Nicolas Mahut	103
John isner	113

10. Goran Ivanisevic

A croatian with most aces in a match at Wimbledon — Coach Goran Ivanisevic watches Novak Djokovic of Serbia train in preparation for the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 05, 2024. Photo: Matthew Stockman
Source: Getty Images

Date of birth: September 13, 1971
Nationality: Croatian
Aces: 46

With 10,237 aces in 731 games, Ivanisevic is the fourth-highest earner in tennis history. Goran struck 46 against Magnus Norman in the second round of the 1997 Wimbledon tournament.

As a wildcard entrant ranked 125th in the world in 2001, he served his way to a resounding victory, breaking the tournament record with 213 strokes, adding to his three runners-up finishes at Wimbledon in 1992, 1994, and 1998. The record for most aces in a season still belongs to Ivanisevic, who had 1,477 in 1996.

9. Alexander Bublik

Best Kazakhstani with most aces in a single match — Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan during Day One of the Rolex Paris Masters ATP Masters 1000 at Palais Omnisports de Bercy on October 30, 2023, in Paris, France. Photo: Dean Mouhtaropoulos
Source: Getty Images

Date of birth: June 17, 1997
Nationality: Kazakhstani
Height: 1.96m

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Although he is far from a cautious, rule-following player, Bublik's serious serve frequently helps him escape sticky situations. He defeated Thomas Fabiano in the second round of the 2019 US Open after he struck 48 aces.

8. Richard Krajicek

Most aces in a tennis match by a Dutch player — Stan Wawrinka's new coach, Dutch former player Richard Krajicek watches a match at the ATP Aegon Championships tennis tournament on June 14, 2016. Photo: Glyn Kirk
Source: Getty Images

Date of birth: December 6, 1971
Nationality: Dutch
Aces: 49

Richard Krajicek is well-known for his philanthropic work and, of course, his memorable 1996 Wimbledon victory. In 2000, he was awarded the Arthur Ashe Philanthropic Award by the ATP. With 7,694 from 606 matches, Krajicek is at No. 12 on the all-time list.

7. Kevin Anderson

Best South African tennis player with most aces in a match — Kevin Anderson of South Africa celebrates after defeating Jordan Thompson of Australia at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on October 08, 2021, in Indian Wells, California. Photo: Tim Nwachukwu
Source: Getty Images

Date of birth: May 18, 1986
Nationality: South African
Height: 2.03m

South Africa's retired player, Kevin Anderson, had a powerful service he utilized effectively during his career. With a score of 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 26-24 in under seven hours, Anderson defeated John Isner in 2011 in the longest-ever Wimbledon centre court match. Isner smashed an incredible 53, and Anderson hit 49 on the day. In 2021, at the US Open, Anderson also defeated Jiri Vesely with 49.

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6. Roger Federer

Roger Federer's most aces in a single tennis match — Federer of Switzerland attends Federer's Fan Day event on Day 12 of the 2023 Shanghai Rolex Masters at Qi Zhong Tennis Centre on October 13, 2023, in Shanghai, China. Photo: China Sports/VCG
Source: Getty Images

Date of birth: August 8, 1981
Nationality: Swiss
Height: 1.85m

Roger Federer, undoubtedly, is one of the all-time greats. With 50 aces served in the 2009 Wimbledon Final against Andy Roddick, which allowed him to reach a record-breaking fifteenth Grand Slam, the recently retired Federer makes the most. With an astounding total of 11,478 aces in 1,462 matches, Federer is the third-highest player in career aces.

5. Albano Olivetti

A French's most aces in a match at Wimbledon — Albano Olivetti of France plays a forehand during his Men's Singles first-round match against Matthew Baton of Australia on June 29, 2016, in London, England. Photo: Jordan Mansfield
Source: Getty Images

Date of birth: November 24, 1991
Nationality: French
Height: 2.03m

The 2016 Wimbledon first-round match saw Australian Matthew Barton beat Frenchman Albano Olivetti. But Olivetti served 56 aces in their encounter, the tenth-most ever in a single game (as of this writing).

While Olivetti did manage to get into the record book, he came up short in the match. Olivetti served 56 in this match. The game ended with a score of 14-12 after sets of 6-7(7), 7-6(5), 6-3, and 6-7(5).

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4. Reilly Opelka

Most aces in a match by an American player — Reilly Opelka of the USA plays a forehand against Filip Krajinovic of Serbia during the Men's Singles at Roland Garros on May 23, 2022, in Paris, France. Photo: Ryan Pierse
Source: Getty Images

Date of birth: August 28, 1997
Nationality: American
Height: 2.11m

The Italian Thomas Fabbiano was up against Opelka. The game, part of the round of 64, took place on January 14, 2019.

To earn a spot on this list, Reilly Opelka served 67 aces. Fabbiano won the match despite Opelka's abundance served. In addition, it is among the list's most recent additions.

3. Ivo Karlović

Ivo Karlović's most aces in a single tennis match — Ivo Karlovic of Croatia plays a forehand in his Gentlemen's Singles Second Round match against Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine on July 2, 2015, in London, England. Photo: Julian Finney
Source: Getty Images

Date of birth: February 28, 1979
Nationality: Croatian
Height: 2.11m

Though he does not have the record for most aces in a match, Ivo has hit big numbers more consistently than anyone else on this list. His monster service has made him famous. Ivo Karlović has the most in a 3-set tennis match with 45 at Halle in 2015.

Karlovic's 78 aces in the 2009 Davis Cup semi-final match against Radek Stepanek are the most he has ever struck in a single game. With five positions in the top ten for most in a match, the big-serving Croat is no stranger to serving a plethora of aces in a game:

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Match	No. of aces
Isner vs Steve Johnson, Round 1, US Open, 2020	75
Karlovic vs. Lu Yen-Hsun, US Open, 2016.	61
Karlovic vs Jan-Lennard Struff, Wimbledon, 2018.	61
Karlovic vs. Kei Nishikori, Australian Open, 2019.	59
Karlovic vs. Tomas Berdych, Gerry Webber Open, Halle, 2015.	45

2. Nicolas Mahut

Most aces in a tennis match by Nicolas Mahut — Nicolas Mahut during Day 3 of the Citi Open at Rock Creek Tennis Center on July 31, 2019, in Washington, DC. Photo: Mitchell Layton
Source: Getty Images

Date of birth: January 21, 1982
Nationality: French
Height: 1.91m

On the verdant lawn of Wimbledon, Nicolas Mahut faced up against John Isner in a long battle. Regarding most aces in a game, the two players in that historic matchup in 2010 are currently ranked first and second, respectively.

Since the game's outcome is already known, it is worth noting that the match in question also decided who finished with the most aces. Mahut served 103. With 128 games to go, this Wimbledon tournament is shaping up to be the longest ever.

1. John Isner

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John Isner's most aces in a single tennis match — John Isner of the USA plays a forehand against Nuno Borges of Portugal during Day One of the French Open Roland-Garros on May 28, 2023, in Paris, France. Photo: Antonio Borga
Source: Getty Images

Date of birth: April 26, 1985
Nationality: American
Height: 2.08m

There is no ace machine like John Isner. Among Isner's many serve records are those for most aces in a game(13,960) and most served in a career (747 games), which he achieved in a 2010 Wimbledon game against Nicolas Mahut.

In a record-setting battle that lasted 11 hours and five minutes at Wimbledon, Isner defeated Frenchman Nicolas Mahut6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, and 70-68. Isner set a new record with 113 aces served. Other matches with the highest total also feature the big-serving Isner, like:

Match	No. of aces
Isner vs Ruben Bemelmans, Round 2, Wimbledon, 2018	64
Isner vs Enzo Couacaud, Round 1, Wimbledon, 2022.	54
Isner vs Kevin Anderson, Semi-final, Wimbledon, 2018.	53
Isner vs Steve Johnson, Round 1, US Open, 2020	52

Trivia

How many aces does Milos Raonic have?

8,333 aces in 536 matches. The 2016 Wimbledon runner-up served 1,002 aces in 2012 and 1,107 in 2014, breaking the 1,000-per-season milestone.

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How many aces does Djokovic have?

The number of aces served by Djokovic is 1,202. Djokovic has unleashed his devastating serve on the most famous tennis surface, hard courts, winning over 4,900 games.

Serena Williams' most aces in a match

In her 14th major championship, Serena Williams defeated Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 7-6(6) in the semifinals at Wimbledon 2012. Williams hit 24 aces, making it the most devastating serve in women's tennis history.

Final word

The best of tennis have shown unbelievable play in their pursuit of the most aces in a match record. Their legendary serving matches have forever changed the game, from John Isner's long Wimbledon match to Roger Federer's All-England Club masterpiece.

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Authors

Kevin Omuya

Kevin Omuya is a Content Writer with 4 years of experience who joined Sports Brief in 2022. In 2019 he held a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism & Digital Media from KCA University.