Serena Williams Has Best Women’s First Serve Ever, According To Steve Flink

Updated: July 5, 2012

NEW YORK — Serena Williams, currently in contention for a fifth Wimbledon women’s singles title, has the best first serve in the history of women’s tennis, according to tennis historian Steve Flink in his new book THE GREATEST TENNIS MATCHES OF ALL TIME.

“Watching Serena Williams serve when she is in peak form is astonishing,” writes Flink in the book in a special chapter that ranks the greatest strokes of all time. “Her motion is the most natural of any woman player I have ever seen. Her toss is reliable, her velocity impressive, her ability to rack up free points ever apparent. It is a daunting first serve, delivered with power and panache. As the serve goes, so goes Serena Williams.”

Rounding out Flink’s top five women’s first serves of all time are five-time Wimbledon champion and Serena’s older sister Venus Williams at No. 2, four-time US champion Alice Marble at No. 3, nine-time Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova at No. 4 and two-time US and Wimbledon champion Althea Gibson at No. 5.

THE GREATEST TENNIS MATCHES OF ALL TIME features profiles and rankings of the greatest matches of all time dating from the 1920s featuring Bill Tilden and Suzanne Lenglen up through the modern era of tennis featuring contemporary stars Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. Flink breaks down, analyzes and puts into historical context the sport’s most memorable matches, providing readers with a courtside seat at these most celebrated and significant duels. Other champions featured in the book include Don Budge, Maureen Connolly, Rod Laver, Margaret Court, Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf among many others.

Flink’s fascinating “greatest strokes of all time” section ranks and describes the players who best executed all the important shots in the game through the years. Williams also ranked No. 2 all time in the second serve category, No. 5 in forehands and No. 3 in mental toughness. Other 2012 Wimbledon contenders featured in this section include Novak Djokovic (No. 4 all time backhand, No. 3 return of serve, No. 5 passing shot), Roger Federer (No. 1 forehand of all time, No. 5 first serve, No. 4 overhead), Andy Murray (No. 5 all time return of serve, No. 5 lob) and Victoria Azarenka (No. 4 return of serve of all time.) Incidentally, Flink ranked Samantha Stosur’s second serve as the best of all time, with Williams placed at No. 2 in that category.

THE GREATEST TENNIS MATCHES OF ALL TIME, a hard-cover book that retails for $28.95, can be purchased via this link http://m1e.net/c?136411400-thlfGw8rcOpJU%407657030-fkFH71d/7J7lY at www.NewChapterMedia.com and where ever books are sold. The book is available in electronic formats, including on Amazon.com’s Kindle.

Flink, one of the most respected writers and observers in the game, is currently a columnist for TennisChannel.com. A resident of Katonah, N.Y., he is the former editor of World Tennis magazine and a former senior columnist at Tennis Week.

The book has received high praise from some of the most respected names in the sport, including Chris Evert, a winner of 18 major singles titles, who wrote the foreword to the book.

Said seven-time Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras, “Steve Flink was there reporting on almost every big match I played in my career. He has seen all of the great players for the last 45 years. I encourage you to read this book because Steve is one of the most insightful writers on the game that I have known and he really knows his tennis.”

Said former U.S. Davis Cup captain and player Patrick McEnroe, “As a writer and a fan, Steve Flink’s knowledge of tennis history and his love of the sport are second to none, which is why you should read his new book.”

Said ESPN’s Cliff Drysdale, “To see tennis through the eyes of Steve Flink is to wander through a wonderland. These are not fantasies because Steve captures the essence of tennis matches in graphic detail. There is no one more passionate or caring about his subject. In this absorbing book, I can relive matches that I have called on television.”

Said CBS, NBC and Tennis Channel commentator Mary Carillo, “The GREATEST TENNIS MATCHES OF ALL TIME is a masterful tennis epic. Its pages are brimming with insight, hindsight. And as always with Steve Flink, the 20/20 vision of the subtleties and complexities of a match. From Budge to Nadal and “Little Mo” to Serena Williams, Steve will guide you through the greatest matches you ever saw, or never saw. The game’s finest players and brightest moments will come alive and play again, right before your eyes. This book is a tennis treasure.”