False reading denies Monfils fastest serve

Gael Monfils briefly owned a place in Wimbledon history yesterday until a serve measured at 150 miles per hour was ruled a false reading.

The 31-year-old sent down an ace in his all-french firstround clash with Richard Gasquet that drew gasps when a digital board at courtside indicated he had produced the fastest serve ever seen at the championships.

It came when Monfils served at 40-0 in the ninth game of the match on Court Two. Gasquet had no answer to the powerful wide serve.

The tournament record of 148mph was set by American Taylor Dent in 2010, and Monfils does not typically serve at such a pace.

That meant suspicions were immediately aroused about the veracity of the given speed, and a tournament official later confirmed that the measurement technology had in fact served up a fault.

Rather than establish a new record, it was reassessed as having been a 135mph serve, the official said.

Monfils eventually won through 7-6 (8/6), 7-5, 6-4 – a significant consolation for the Parisian.

Last year’s runner-up Marin Cilic was also a comfortable winner, the Croatian beating Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.

Stan Wawrinka came out on top in a heavyweight firstround contest with Grigor Dimitrov.

The former world No 3 is currently ranked 224th due to a prolonged absence through injury.

Wawrinka, who needed two operations on his left knee last year, has struggled for form since making his comeback in January.

But the Swiss was always going to be a dangerous floater in the main draw and so it proved as he beat sixthseeded Bulgarian Dimitrov 1-6, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.