Modern-day tennis is more about power from the baseline than finesse and deft touches at the net like the old days. With the evolution of sporting equipment and hard-court tournaments gaining more popularity, players can now hit forehands and backhands at incredible top speeds.
As a result, we now see most players on the tennis circuit favouring powerful baseline play over volleys and drop shots. Even though the more complete players skilfully mix up their baseline and net play, tennis has slowly become a sport prioritising power and agility over other skills.
Here, we present our pick of ten hard-hitting tennis players across the men’s and women’s circuits to look out for in 2026.
João Fonseca is touted by many as the next big thing in tennis. The 19-year-old is not only a player with massive potential, but also one who can unleash powerful shots from his racquet.
Fonseca has a decent first serve with an average first-serve speed of 122 miles per hour, which is quite high for his age. His average forehand speed of 81 mph is greater than the tour average of 76 mph. What makes his forehand even more lethal is the top spin rate of 3,019 rotations per minute, which also beats the tour average (2,844 rpm).
At just 19 years old, with his physicality improving with age, the Brazilian could soon establish himself as the most lethal shot-maker in the game.
Amanda Anisimova is finally starting to fulfil her potential as one of the most talented women’s players. 2025 was a particularly successful year for her, as she went on to make two Grand Slam final appearances.
Anisimova has always been a hard-hitting player, but with experience she has improved even further. At the US Open this year, her average backhand speed was 77 mph, the highest for any men’s or women’s player at the tournament. She is also a highly aggressive player who likes to rely on short rallies and winners rather than a defensive style of play.
The 24-year-old is undoubtedly one of the hardest-hitting women’s players on the circuit, which is one of the reasons why she has been so highly effective against the world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, having not been overwhelmed by the Belarusian’s pace and power.
Ben Shelton hasn’t risen up the ATP rankings without a reason. The American is yet another hard-hitting operator who has been a consistent performer on the tour, particularly at the Grand Slams.
Not only does Shelton have one of the fastest serves on the tour (150 mph), he can also rip a fierce forehand. His average forehand speed lies somewhere between 80–90 mph, which is way above the tour average of 76–77 mph. The 23-year-old is predominantly an aggressive baseliner. What’s special about him being able to generate so much pace off his racquet is that it doesn’t seem forced, but effortless.
Even though there are several players on the tour physically stronger and taller than Shelton, his technique of serving and hitting the shots is what helps him generate incredible pace.
Elena Rybakina hasn’t quite fulfilled her potential of becoming a tennis great after winning the 2022 Wimbledon title, but avid tennis fans will always be aware of her talent and ability.
The 26-year-old is one of the hardest-hitting players on the WTA Tour, and she does it effortlessly, without even breaking a sweat. The tennis balls fly from her racquet, whether it’s the forehand or the double-handed backhand.
And it’s not just her shots. Rybakina also has the best serve on the women’s tour. Her serve speed ranges from 106 to 120 mph, and she can consistently serve up aces. Her average forehand speed is 76 mph, which is almost 6–7 mph faster than the tour average. Rybakina also relies a lot on her double-handed backhand for hitting cross-court winners, having struck a few 90-mph backhands in some instances, though her average speed is much lower.
This young Frenchman announced himself on the global tennis stage after reaching the Wimbledon round of 16 last year. Perricard is currently the fastest-serving player on the ATP Tour.
The 22-year-old served up a record 153-mph first serve in his first-round Wimbledon match this year. The 6’8″-tall operator has even more mind-boggling figures when it comes to his average serve speeds. Perricard’s average first-serve speed is 135 mph, while his average second-serve speed is 123 mph, which is way higher than the tour averages of 118 mph on first serves and 96 mph on second serves.
Coming to his forehand and backhand, though information is scant, Perricard likes to hit his shots flat with power rather than with topspin, looking to dominate from the baseline and trying to finish points in a couple of shots rather than engaging in long rallies.
Though Perricard holds a massive height advantage on the tour, he isn’t the complete product yet and could do with more variation in his game, since a big serve isn’t the only prerequisite for success.
The current world No. 3 is another player known for his powerful groundstrokes off both forehand and backhand. Zverev has been widely regarded as one of the best players on the men’s circuit, and it’s a surprise to many that he hasn’t won a Grand Slam yet. However, there isn’t any doubt about the fact that Zverev is a fantastic player and another exponent of hard-hitting.
Like all top-ranked players, the 6’5″-tall German has a powerful and effective serve coupled with a superb range of shots. His average first-serve speed is 129 mph, which is higher than the tour average. On the forehand, he has delivered an average speed of an estimated 80 mph in certain matches.
Zverev puts a lot of faith in his backhand, which is known for its power and pressure, and relies heavily on it for hitting cross-court and down-the-line winners. His average backhand speed is around 73 mph, which lies among the top five fastest backhands on the tour.
Still one of the most consistent players on the ATP Tour, Zverev’s power-hitting is almost on par with the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
The current world No. 1 is one of the most complete players in world tennis right now, boasting a mind-boggling range of shots in his armoury. The Spaniard can generate a lot of power from the baseline and has one of the fastest forehands in the game right now.
Due to his agility, deft touch, and skill at the net, Alcaraz’s power play often goes unnoticed. He is a top baseliner with a great serve and forehand with topspin. His average first serve is slightly higher than the tour average (116–118 mph) at 120–122 mph, though his fastest serve can easily exceed 134 mph. His average forehand speed is 78 mph, but he has recorded a fastest forehand speed of 115 mph as well, which is the fastest recorded forehand to date.
Though Alcaraz is capable of hitting fast forehands and backhands, he likes to mix up his play and bring some unpredictability to the court, a quality that has made him the best and most complete player in recent years.
The current world No. 1 in women’s tennis has been known for her hard-hitting power tennis since the moment she turned pro. Sabalenka has come a long way from being a player with immense potential to becoming the best player on the tour over the past few years.
The four-time Grand Slam champion possesses the fastest forehand on the women’s circuit. Not only that, she hits her shots even harder than some of her male counterparts. The 27-year-old is predominantly an aggressive baseline player who likes to dominate rallies and hit powerful winners from the back of the court. She is also a top server, maintaining an average first-serve speed of 108 mph, which just about beats the tour average, but her fastest serve was recorded at a whopping 133 mph. She can easily hit a first serve around the 118–120 mph mark.
The Belarusian prefers to hit flat forehands without much topspin. She had an average forehand speed of 80 mph at last year’s US Open, clocking in higher than the forehands of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and even Novak Djokovic at the time.
The current world No. 2 is a hard baseliner who can produce similar types of speed off both forehand and backhand. The five-time Grand Slam champion likes to dominate rallies with his heavy groundstrokes and repeatedly hits powerful shots that many players fail to handle. Simply put, Sinner is one of the most difficult players to play on hard courts.
This year, Sinner’s first serve has averaged 122 mph, which is an improvement over the 119 mph recorded in 2024. His highest recorded serve speed is 132 mph, while his average forehand speed is 78 mph, higher than the tour average. His average backhand speed is 73 mph, which is also higher than the tour average (66 mph). Some of his individual backhand shots have been recorded at 90 mph.
Sinner’s quality and consistency in his shot-making is incredible. As noted on the official ATP Tour website, Sinner’s shot quality on serve, backhand, and forehand is the best in the world.
Grigor Dimitrov is easily one of the most experienced players on the ATP Tour now. Though fitness issues have troubled the talented Bulgarian, he continues to be the same hard-hitting player that he was early in his career. A dominant baseline player, he likes to dictate rallies with pace and power.
The 34-year-old has a strong first serve with an average first-serve speed of 115 mph, but he can record serves of over 130 mph, his fastest being 145 mph. Additionally, Dimitrov has one of the heaviest backhands on the tour, even though he hits it single-handedly.
Dimitrov’s average backhand speed is around 69 mph, but his topspin backhand is far heavier, while his highest recorded backhand was clocked at 95.9 mph, which is very high even for a double-handed backhand, let alone a single-handed one. While his backhand is his preferred weapon, Dimitrov’s forehand is lethal as well. His average forehand speed is around 80–82 mph, higher than the tour average.
Based on his forehand and backhand average speeds, as well as the eye test of his aggressive play, even at 34 Dimitrov ranks supreme as the hardest-hitting player on the tour.
Note: The stats mentioned here have been sourced from the official ATP Tour and WTA Tour websites, Tennis.com, and the official Australian Open and US Open websites.
Here, we present our preview and predictions for all matches of Gameweek 18 of the…
Here, we present our preview and predictions for Match 11 of BBL|15, to be played…
Here, we present our preview and predictions for Match 12 of BBL|15, to be played…
Here, we present our preview and predictions for the fourth Test match of the 2025/26…
Formula One and global luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton have built on their partnership, which…
The Serie A have announced a new partnership with global appliance brand, Haier, who is…