Double fault (tennis)

In tennis, 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 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, but still managed to clinch the victory.

At the 1957 Wimbledon Championships, 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.

WTA Tour
Anna Kournikova holds the record for the most double faults in a match with 31, in a clash against Miho Saeki that has been labeled as "one of most feeble and unintentionally comical matches of all time".