“I don’t think anyone could say otherwise”: John Isner on why Rybakina is already among the best servers ever

The latest episode of the Nothing Major Podcast featured an interesting analysis from John Isner — arguably the player with the best serve in the history of the ATP Tour — placing Elena Rybakina among the best servers in the history of the women’s tour.

The Kazakh player recorded a total of 47 aces on her way to the Australian Open title, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final — precisely with an ace on match point. The new world No. 3 has the serve as one of the great weapons in her arsenal, and after several years on tour, it already places her not only among the current elite, but even among the greatest servers in WTA history.

During the latest episode of the Nothing Major Podcast — in which John Isner, Sam Querrey, Steve Johnson and Jack Sock reacted to the men’s and women’s finals of the Australian Open — one of the topics discussed was Rybakina’s campaign and her strength on serve.

“She obviously had some issues last year — on court, off court, whatever you want to call it — with the coaching box drama,” commented Steve Johnson. “But she seems to have everything squared away now, or at least she seems to be in a good place, and that’s what really matters after everything that’s transpired.”

“Dating back to last year, she’s 20–1 in her last 21 tour-level matches. She’s 10–0 against top-10 players in her last 10 matches. She’s playing the best tennis of anybody in the top 10, and there’s no reason she can’t compete for multiple Slams this year and get to No. 1 in the world.”

If there is an authoritative voice when it comes to serve — technique and effectiveness — it is American John Isner, retired since 2023, who had a remarkable career in which his serve was his main weapon. He holds several records that credit him as the best — or at least one of the best — when it comes to serving. “Right now, her and Sabalenka have the two best serves in the game," commented the American. "I don’t think anyone could say otherwise."

The fastest recorded serve at an ATP event was by John Isner, at 253.0 km/h (157.0 mph) in the first round of the 2016 Davis Cup. He has the most aces in the history of the ATP Tour, having served 14,470, leaving Ivo Karlovic (13,728) and Roger Federer (11,478) well behind. In addition, he holds the record for most aces by a single player in a match — with the 113 he hit in the famous “longest match in history” at Wimbledon 2010 against Nicolas Mahut — as well as the record for most aces in a single tournament (Wimbledon 2018, 214 aces).

“I think there’s no doubt Serena has the best serve of all time,” commented Sam Querrey during the conversation. “But Rybakina is closing in, or at least entering the conversation for one of the best serves on the women’s side. If she keeps this up for a few more years — ever — her serve is dominant.”

In that regard, former world No. 8 John Isner joined his compatriot in praising Rybakina’s serve. “I love it. Her height helps, but I absolutely love it. You saw how she ended the match with a big ace. Her serve is awesome. Her technique is flawless,” he said. “When her career is all said and done, we’ll definitely be talking about her serve as one of the best in tennis history, right up there with Serena. The stats would back that up as well.”

Another who had praise for Rybakina was former Paris Masters champion Jack Sock, who even argued that when Sabalenka and Rybakina are both at 100%, it is the Kazakh who has a slight advantage in terms of level.

“Sabalenka usually steps on court knowing she can out-hit her opponent, and then she looks across the net and sees someone matching her shot for shot,” commented Jack Sock. “They’re very similar players. We talked about it the other day — it was always going to come down to who was connecting better on the day. In my opinion, Rybakina is very similar but with a better serve.”

“I honestly think it came down to who was striking the ball better that day,” he added. “But it’s got to be frustrating when Sabalenka, who can overpower anyone, goes up against someone who’s that equal to her.”

Steve Johnson shared the same opinion as his former colleague. “I think Sabalenka is better year-round — she’s more competitive, she can win when she’s not playing her best tennis,” he mentioned. “But when they’re both playing their best, it’s hard to argue that Rybakina isn’t just a little bit better. Her game is smoother. The way she connects with the ball and moves around the court — it’s easy power.”