If you’ve ever picked up a tennis racket and attempted to serve against an opponent, you’ll know just how hard a skill it is. It’s one thing to get the ball over the net and yet a whole other thing to even start thinking about speed and accuracy.

It’s a technique that quickly separates the professionals from the amateurs and a skill which has become increasingly important in the modern game.

Nowadays, both men and women are serving faster than ever before, with players regularly reaching service speeds that were once thought to be nearly impossible.

At this year’s Wimbledon, for example, fans witnessed the fastest serve in the tournament’s 148-year history, when Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard unleashed a 153 mph rocket in his first-round match against Taylor Fritz.

Perricard is part of a new breed of players who weaponize their powerful asset to significant effect. The 21-year-old is the current world No. 36 but clearly has the power to one day challenge the very best.