While Venus Williams has set numerous records throughout the years, one stood the test of time — all the way from 2007 to 2021. Venus blasted a serve at a whopping 129 miles per hour back in her first round match of the 2007 US Open, a speed that was finally matched by Alycia Parks in September 2021.
As shared by Chron, Venus’ original record-setting moment actually broke the record that had previously been held by her sister Serena Williams, who hit a US Open serve at a speed of 127 miles per hour the year before. The speed made Venus pause and laugh, and she later said, “I loved it. I just lost a bit of focus there, for sure.”
Venus seemed pretty bemused by the entire experience, adding that she used to try to hit the ball very hard when she first began playing. She explained that while that wasn’t her goal with her record-setting serve, it still happened. She said, “When I was younger, I was always trying to serve harder and harder, and now I’m not trying to serve hard. It comes hard.”
