July 29, 2014 marked a historic date for the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) when Sabine Lisicki from Germany clocked the world’s fastest serve among women at 131 MPH in Stanford, California.

Guinness World Record awarded Lisicki with a certificate on Friday, August 22 at the start of the 2014 US Open.  In the moment, when Lisicki set the record, she didn’t realize her serve was that fast.

“I felt that I hit it very hard and good but it was only when I heard the crowd that I realized it was 131 (MPH) when I looked at the board,” says Lisicki.

Lisicki’s main priority was to serve the ball in bounds.

“It’s a natural thing. I just throw up the ball and hit it as hard as I can but not really thinking about it because it obviously has to go in, so that’s the main priority.”

Lisicki is excited about her world record, something she almost achieved before but it didn’t count.

“I had a 130 (MPH) serve about four years ago but it wasn’t an official one, so I’m very happy that this one’s official.”

The previous fastest serve record was set in 2007 by Venus Williams, who clocked in at 129 MPH during the US Open against Alla Kudryavtseva from Russia.  This was the same year Venus won Wimbledon.  Williams still holds a separate record in which she became the lowest-ranked (no. 31) and lowest-seeded (23 seed) player to ever win Wimbledon.

During this year’s US Open, Lisicki opened against a qualifier, Françoise Abanda, from Canada. Abanda is 17 years old, whose parents hail from Cameroon, Africa.  This is Abanda’s debut at the senior level in the main draw of the US Open, ranked at number 205.

Lisicki will keep her eyes on the US Open title as she advances to the second around against unranked, Madison Brengle, from USA.