Lydia mentioned this briefly yesterday, but I wanted to expand and give it its due: Serena Williams is the aceiest of aces, having broken her own record in the semi-final of the Wimbledon tournament earlier this month by hitting 24 aces in a TWO-SET win.  She broke the record by one ace, which she had set only the week prior in a THREE-SET win.  Yes, that means that she had an even higher ace percentage than in her previous record.  Williams hit 102 aces in the entire tournament, besting all of the men (who yes, had more opportunities to hit aces since they play 5-set matches.)

Just watch Serena here, in her final match against Agnieszka Radwanska, killing four aces in one game at 114 mph, 107 mph, 115 mph, and 111 mph:

What an amazing show of strength: her gaze never changes until her last serve, where you see a tiny hint of recognition at what’s going on.  The strength she showed in this match was absolutely incredible to watch.

Both Serena and Venus Williams will be back at Wimbledon next week competing for the U.S. on the Olympic tennis team.  Despite the fact that the Olympics are not the main event in tennis, they insisted that it was still special to compete for the U.S.: “I think growing up as tennis players we always dream of winning Grand Slams and doing well at tournaments like Wimbledon but to have the opportunity to win a gold medal and be mentioned among the greatest athletes is an honour,” said Serena.

Usually tennis players have to wait a year before coming back to Wimbledon, arguably the most important Grand Slam tournament, but this year they all get to head right back – and I’m eager to watch Serena ace everyone all over again.