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| LIFE IN SOLERA | AUGUST 2024 | 47 FIVE MORE FUN FACTS #6 In 1972, yellow tennis balls were introduced for the first time. Historically, balls were either black or white, depending on the color of the court's backdrop. e International Tennis Federation (ITF) incorporated yellow tennis balls into the rules of tennis in 1972, aer studies shown that these balls were more visible to television viewers. Wimbledon maintained using the original white ball until 1986, when it switched to yellow balls. #7 163.4 mph is the fastest known serve in tennis During an ATP Challenger tournament in Busan, South Korea on May 9, 2012, Samuel Groth (Australia) served an ace at a speed of 163.4 mph. Groth was up against Uladzimir Ignatik in the second round when he received the serve (Belarus). Groth hit serves of 158.9 mph and 157.5 mph during the match, both of which broke Ivo Karlovic's (Croatia) previous record of 156 mph Groth, however, lost the match 6-4, 6-3. #8 131 mph is the fastest tennis serve by a female On the 29th of July 2014, Sabine Lisicki (Germany) registered 131 mph on a speed gun while serving in the first set of a first- round match against Ana Ivanovic at Stanford University in California. Venus Williams' (USA) 129-mph (207.6-km/h) serve against Ashley Harkleroad in the second round of the 2007 US Open was previously the fastest serve by a woman on the WTA (Women's Tennis Association) circuit. e WTA didn't accept Brenda Schultz-(Netherlands) McCarthy's 130-mph (209.2-km/h) serve in qualification for the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2006 since it occurred outside of the main competition.[6] #9 Arthur Ashe is the first black player to win singles at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. was an American professional tennis player who won three Grand Slam singles championships. He began playing tennis at the age of six. He was the first black player to be picked for the US Davis Cup team, and he is the only black man to have won the singles titles at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open. He retired in 1980 and died in 1993 at just 49 years old. #10 ree miles is about the distance run aer two tennis sets According to TribeSports.com, tennis players run approximately three miles during a two-set match. Soccer players run about seven miles per match and field hockey players about 5.6 miles; however, given the size of a tennis court (78 x 36 feet), that's a lot of back and forth movement with more rigorous sprinting. ~ Shirley Ferguson, Basha Tennis, 2022 TENNIS TITANS