What if, during the 2009 IAAF world Championships, Usain Bolt had broken the 100 meter dash record in his quarterfinal heat? Then broken it again in the semifinal? And then again in the medal race?
It would be crazy to think an athlete could ratchet up the strength while not sacrificing the stamina to keep increasing his output and distancing himself from history.
And yet on May 9, 2012, that’s exactly what professional tennis player Samuel Groth did.
The 6-foot-4 (1.94 m) Australian put his impressive frame (93 kg/210 lbs) to good use as he muscled cannon serve after cannon serve at opponent Uladzimir Ignatik that day. Groth had drawn the Belarusian in a second-round match of an ATP Challenger event in Busan, South Korea, probably not knowing he would rewrite record books when he packed his racket bag earlier that morning. For by the end of the day, Groth drew not only Ignatik, but also the reigning record holder for the fastest tennis serve on record: Ivo Karlovic of Croatia.
Just over a year earlier, Karlovic rifled a 251 km/h (156 mph) serve in doubles action at the 2011 Davis Cup. In Busan, his record would fall to Groth. Then fall again. And again.
In total, Groth notched serves at the blistering speeds of 253.5 km/h (157.5 mph), 255.7 km/h (158.9 mph), and the eventual record holder at an ear-bending 263 km/h (163.4 mph). As one would suspect, the record serve went unreturned for an ace.
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