• WTA

Wrong equipment denies Venus new record serve

ESPN staff
September 27, 2013
Venus Williams' record from the 2007 US Open will still stand © Getty Images
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Venus Williams was denied a new world record serve after her delivery failed to be measured by the correct equipment.

The seven-time grand slam champion fired down the serve in her quarter-final victory over Eugenie Bouchard at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. However, the American will not be able to break the record which she set six years ago as the IDS guns deployed by the WTA to measure official speeds are not being used in Tokyo.

Williams' serve clocked at 209kph, but the serve of 207.6kph which she hit at the 2007 US Open still counts as the record due to the equipment.

Before official confirmation came of the serve, Williams revealed her disbelief about the potential world record serve.

"I saw that but I was like: 'Is that real?' So I don't know if that's real," she said. "I know I've been serving a lot harder this tournament than since I've come back from my back injury. I couldn't really serve that hard at the US Open [earlier this month] and this summer."

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