In
tennis
Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
, if the serving player makes two
mistakes in the same
point, it is called a double fault, and they lose the point and the point is awarded to their opponent.
Amateur Era singles records
Gerald Patterson
Gerald Leighton Patterson MC (17 December 1895 – 13 June 1967) was an Australian tennis player.
Patterson was active in the decade following World War I. During his career he won three Grand Slam tournaments in the singles event as well as ...
allegedly holds the record for the most double faults committed in a
Grand Slam final: he committed 27 double faults in a 71-game match against
John Hawkes in the
1927 Australian Championships
The 1927 Australian Championships was a tennis tournament that took place on outdoor Grass courts at the Kooyong Stadium in Melbourne, Australia from 22 January to 1 February. It was the 20th edition of the Australian Championships (now known as th ...
, but still managed to clinch the victory.
At the
1957 Wimbledon Championships
The 1957 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament was held from Monday 24 June until Saturday 6 July 1957. It was the 71st ...
, Maria de Amorin committed 17 double faults in a row in her second-round encounter against Berna Thung. De Amorin took a set off her opponent, but eventually lost the match.
Open Era singles records
Double faults have been officially recorded by the top-level professional tennis circuits since 1991.
Only
main draw singles matches are included here.
ATP Tour
Among all players, active or retired, the worst average of double faults per match, shared between
Henrik Holm and
Radomír Vašek, is 7.2, while
Gilbert Schaller has the best average, at 1.0.
Most double faults in a match
Most double faults in a three-setter
Most double faults in a two-setter
Most consecutive double faults
Committing four consecutive double faults in a single game
WTA Tour
Anna Kournikova
Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova Iglesias (née Kournikova; ; ; born 7 June 1981) is a Russian model and television personality, and former professional tennis player. Her appearance and celebrity status made her one of the best known tennis stars ...
holds the record for the most double faults in a match with 31, in a clash against
Miho Saeki
(born 18 March 1976) is a Japanese former tennis player, winner of professional tournaments in doubles and singles, and a representative of Japan in the Fed Cup, Federation Cup.
Career
Saeki's career began officially in April 1994. As a junior f ...
that has been labeled as "one of most feeble and unintentionally comical matches of all time".
Most double faults in a match
Most double faults in a game
See also
*
Ace (tennis)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Double fault (Tennis)
Tennis terminology
Tennis records and statistics