Remember when Taylor Dent unleashed a serve clocking in at 148 mph at Wimbledon in 2010? That thunderous serve didn’t just set a world record for the tournament; it also made many believe that the record was untouchable. But with every new edition of the prestigious grass-court Grand Slam comes the possibility of new records and fresh history being written. However, for rising star Ben Shelton, the journey toward setting a new record has been marked by discouragement and demotivation. Meanwhile, a giant awakens at Wimbledon! 

The American tennis star has demonstrated some exceptional skills on the grass courts of the All-England Club. While he survived a major scare in the first round against Mattia Bellucci, he improved his gameplay to achieve a comparatively comfortable win over Lloyd Harris in the second round. In doing so, he not just established a place for himself in the third round of the tournament, but set a Wimbledon record for the fastest serve ever.

Playing in the first set of the match against the South African player, Shelton was trailing 2-1. This motivated him to play a fierce shot that left Harris baffled. While the serve turned into an ace point for Shelton, what became the talk of the town was the number on the speedometer: a magnanimous 153mph! Despite achieving a historic feat – the fastest serve ever recorded at Wimbledon – Shelton’s accomplishment received surprisingly little fanfare.

The mainstream media in both the UK and the USA offered minimal coverage, perhaps overshadowed by high-profile clashes like Carlos Alcaraz vs. Jannik Sinner and Andy Murray’s emotional farewell on Centre Court. Even Wimbledon itself seemed to miss the mark. In addition, Shelton’s achievement failed to woo Coco Gauff’s coach Brad Gilbert who seemed to be lauding Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, the lucky loser who has found he has, well, “nothing to lose”. 

Taking to his Twitter handle on Saturday, Gilbert claimed that the French player has also served with similar speed but the absence of a radar gun during his matches failed to record his feat. “3 Namer Perricard i believe has hit multiple servs above 150  in 1st 2 rds but has not played on court with radar gun…” Gilbert’s statement can not be ignored completely. At 6’8”, the 20-year-old is the tallest man inside the Top 100 in the ATP Rankings and has the physical capabilities to cause damage on serve.

That first-round victory was just a taste of what was to come. Since then, the towering 6’8″ Mpetshi Perricard (currently ranked 58th) has unleashed a staggering 105 aces in just three matches, leading the entire tournament. His serve is a weapon of mass destruction. It has topped out at a jaw-dropping 151 mph, averaging a blistering 136 mph on the first serve and a still-potent 117 mph on the second.

This translates into a dominant 86% win rate on first serve points, a combination of raw speed, clever angles, and enough variety to keep opponents off balance and scrambling. In the third round, Mpetshi Perricard posted a 4-6 6-2 7-6 (5) 6-4 win over Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori–the only player to break his serve so far during Wimbledon. Earlier this year, Mpetshi Perricard, standing at 6’8″, hit a 151mph serve in his victory against Hugo Gaston in Lyon, casting a long shadow over the competition. 

Currently, Mpetshi Perricard finds himself in a wide-open section of the draw, guaranteeing a first-time Wimbledon semifinalist. “For me Wimbledon is the home of tennis, a tennis paradise,” the 20-year-old said. “I watched a lot of finals when I was young. So for me Wimbledon is a special place and a special place to be.” Well, this is not the first time when the 62-year-old is singing praises for the French star’s serve speed.

Sharing on the microblogging platform earlier, Gilbert lauded Perricard’s serve speed and claimed it to be among the best that he has ever seen. “Perricard Average 1st serv through 1st 3 sets is 137 MPH and has hit 44 above 140….might be the biggest numbers I have ever seen.” GMP is currently working to keep his mental game strong, like his physical prowess.

Giovanni Mpetshi-Perricard on his mental game after defeating Yoshihito Nishioka

The French budding star is focusing on achieving something great in his first Wimbledon. Meanwhile, he acknowledged that he is trying to keep his mental game as strong as possible. Speaking after defeating Yoshihito Nishioka in the second round, Perricard revealed that he is trying to reverse his usual behavior on the court.

“Mentally, I was solid from start to finish, I didn’t let any flaws or negative thoughts slip through. It’s not innate. Mentally, it’s not easy, I’m quite shy, very reserved. I didn’t want to show too much, so I had to work on that with people to help me become the player I am today and the player I want to be in a few years’ time” He also opened up about taking inspiration from the World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and said that it is different for all the players. 

“Did I take my inspiration from (Jannik) Sinner (regarding keeping things in)? Yes and no,” he explained after defeating Nishioka. “I try to look a bit at the attitudes of the best. But everyone’s different. Sinner has his way, (Rafael) Nadal has his, and I have mine.” As the tournament progresses, it will be interesting to see if Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard can use his deadly blows to defeat the top-seeded players and win big in Wimbledon.