Not so fast, Monfils ... record is not yours
Like many a motorist, Gael Monfils can claim issue with a dodgy speed gun.
The Frenchman was originally credited with a record for the fastest-ever serve at Wimbledon after sending down what was recorded as a 150mph howitzer in his straight-sets victory over compatriot Richard Gasquet. That overtook the 148mph mark set by American Taylor Dent in 2010.
However, suspicions were raised straight away, given that Monfils is hardly renowned as one of the biggest servers on the tour. Later on, Wimbledon officials rounded it down to 135mph, blaming a glitch with the speed gun.
That did not prevent the march of the big servers yesterday, with last year’s runner-up, Marin Cilic, following up his title triumph at the Fever Tree Championships with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 victory against Yoshihito Nishioka.
Cilic served 21 aces as he made a solid start to the championships. The third seed, who won the Queen’s championship final against Novak Djokovic eight days ago, has been pleased with his preparations on grass.
“It’s slightly different than all the other surfaces as the ball skids through the court a bit quicker and you can slide the ball around a little bit easier than on hard courts,” Cilic told a news conference afterwards.
“Here you also play the opponent on the other side so you have to play the mind game, where to serve, what kind of serve to serve.
“So it’s not just hitting your spots and your patterns.”
Fellow big-hitters, Sam Querry, John Isner of the United States and the 6ft 11in Croatian Ivo Karlovic, are also through to the second round.