Aussie tennis star smashes serve speed record

Sydney, May 13(ANI): Australian tennis player Sam Groth has broken the previous record for the fastest serve, sending down a tennis ball at 263km/h during a tournament in Busan, South Korea.

Not so much known Groth, who is ranked 340 in the Tennis rankings, earned his moment of fame when he far exceeded the previous best set by giant Croat Ivo Karlovic, who fired down a 251km/h serve during a Davis Cup match in March last year.

He broke the record during a straight sets second round loss against Uladzimir Agnatic of Belarus in which he was also accredited with serves timed at 253.5km/h and 255.7km/h.

The record has risen by minute amounts in recent years with improved racquet technology but the jump of 12km/h by the 193cm tall Groth is extraordinary, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Groth himself did not seem too impressed, as he wrote on Twitter: "Lost 4 and 3. Average! Did hit a 263kmh serve though in for an ace." (ANI)