His highest ATP singles ranking was World No. 53, which he reached in August 2015. His career high in doubles was World No. 24, reached in February 2015. Groth's best singles result was a semi-final appearance at the 2014 Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.
He holds the record for the world's fastest serve at 263km/h (163.4mph), which he hit in 2012 at the ATP Challenger in Busan.
Prior to his political career, he worked for the Nine Network's tennis broadcasts, and as a host on Postcards.
Tennis career
Groth in 2010
Juniors
Groth and Andrew Kennaugh of Great Britain made it to the finals of the 2005 Wimbledon boys' doubles championship, coming runners up to Jesse Levine and Michael Shabaz 6–4, 6–1.[3]
2007–2013: Fastest serve on record
In 2007, Groth beat compatriot Mark Philippoussis; subsequently, Philippoussis focused on the senior's tour. Groth qualified for the ATP event in Nottingham where he defeated Britain's Jamie Baker 7–6, 6–3 in the first round. He lost his second round match to seeded Gilles Simon 7–6(7–1), 4–6, 4–6.
At the 2009 Australian Open he set a record for the fastest serve by a male player (232km/h). He lost in the qualification to Wimbledon 2009 to Jesse Levine 4–6, 7–6, 5–7.[4]
In November 2013, he reached the final of the Champaign Challenger, eventually losing in 3 sets to Tennys Sandgren 6–3, 3–6, 6–7. However, by reaching the final there, and the semi-final of Dunlop World Challenge the following week, his ranking improved to a career high of no.173.
2014
In 2014, Groth was awarded a wildcard into the main draw at the Brisbane International, where he made his first ATP World Tour quarterfinal appearance.
On 8 January, Groth was awarded a wildcard into the main draw at the Australian Open,[6] albeit lost in the first round to 28th seed, Vasek Pospisil in straight sets.
In March, Groth qualified for the Indian Wells Masters, although, his journey in the tournament didn't last long as he lost in the first round to Mikhail Kukushkin, [4–7] in the third set tie-break.
On 17 March, Groth entered and won the Rimouski Challenger in Canada. This was his first Challenger tour title. Two weeks later, he made the final of the León Challenger, but lost to no.1 seed, Rajeev Ram. This success shot him up to a new career high world ranking of 136.
At the French Open, Groth made it to the last round of qualifying, but lost to Simone Bolelli 4–6, 2–6. This was his best French Open result to date. He partnered Andrey Golubev in the Men's doubles, where they made it to the semifinal. This increased his doubles ranking to a career high of no.41. In June, Groth made the final of the Nottingham Challenge but lost to compatriot Nick Kyrgios 6–7(3–7), 6–7(7–9). Groth made his Wimbledon debut after winning his way through qualifying, but lost in the first round to Alexandr Dolgopolov in straight sets.
In July, Groth entered the Hall of Fame Open, where he reached his maiden ATP semi-final, defeating defending champion Nicolas Mahut in the quarterfinal. This achievement saw him break into the top 100 rankings for the first time in his career.[7]
In August, Groth won his first Grand Slam match, defeating Albert Ramos Viñolas 6–3, 7–6(7–5), 6–3 in the US Open. In the second round, he was defeated by Roger Federer in straight sets 4–6, 4–6, 4–6.
Groth then played at the Santaizi Challenger as the 2nd seed. He cruised through to the final where he defeated Konstantin Kravchuk to win the title. His next tournament was the Busan Open where he was again the 2nd seed. He defeated compatriot Alex Bolt in the first round but then lost to Franko Škugor. At the French Open, Groth led 21st seed Pablo Cuevas by a set in the first round, before being run down in 4 sets.
Groth started his grass court season at the Manchester Challenger where he reached the final and defeated compatriot Luke Saville to win the title. He then competed at the ATP Mercedes Cup where he defeated Sergiy Stakhovsky in the first round. He then scored his first top 20 win by defeating world number 12 Feliciano López to reach the quarterfinal. At Wimbledon, Groth defeated 31st seed Jack Sock in the round of 128, compatriot James Duckworth in the round 64[8] to set up a third round match against Roger Federer.
In this 3rd round match, he made the second fastest serve ever at the Wimbledon tournament (147mph), and was the only player to take a set off of Federer in until the final, losing to the 7-time champion 4–6, 4–6, 7–6(7–5), 2–6. Groth then represented Australia at the Davis Cup in the quarterfinal. Australia was down 2–0 to Kazakhstan when Groth played the doubles rubber with Lleyton Hewitt. The pair won in straight sets to take the tie to 2–1. Groth then replaced Nick Kyrgios to play Mikhail Kukushkin where he defeated him in 4 sets to level the tie at 2–2. Hewitt then won the 5th rubber to ensure Australia a place in the Davis Cup semi-finals with a come from behind win. Groth next contested the Bogotá Open as the 6th seed where he defeated Guido Pella before losing to former world number 8 Radek Štěpánek in straight sets. He then played at the Atlanta Open and defeated Frances Tiafoe in the first round. He then lost to eventual finalist and fifth seed Marcos Baghdatis in 3 sets. Groth then competed at the Citi Open, where he reached his first ATP500 Quarterfinal after defeating Thomaz Bellucci, 9th seeded Viktor Troicki and 7th seeded Feliciano López before losing to eventual champion Kei Nishikori. This was also the first time Groth defeated back-to-back top 20 players. Groth next played at the Winston-Salem Open and defeated Jared Donaldson before losing to eventual semi-finalist Steve Johnson. At the US Open, Groth defeated former world number 13 Alexandr Dolgopolov in the first round, before losing to 26th seed Tommy Robredo in the second round. Groth also played the Men's doubles with Lleyton Hewitt, bowing out with a loss in the second round.
The 2018 Australian Open turned out to be Groth's last tournament before his retirement. He lost in his singles quarterfinal match to Taylor Fritz. He paired with former world no. 1 compatriot Lleyton Hewitt in doubles, where they reached the quarterfinals. He also paired with compatriot Samantha Stosur in the mixed doubles.[9]
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.
Speaking before the election, Groth stated of his possibility to win the seat: "It's been extremely positive. I'm confident, if we are to have any chance tonight of the Liberal Party and the Coalition getting into government in this state, Nepean is the one that has to turn."[14]
Groth claimed victory in Nepean on the night of the election with a two-party swing of 7.1% in his favour.[14][15] After the election, Groth was appointed Shadow Minister for Youth and Shadow Minister for Tourism, Sport and Events in the Pesutto shadow ministry.[16]
In 2023, as a member of Shadow Cabinet, Groth supported leader John Pesutto in voting to expel Moira Deeming from the Parliamentary Liberal Party.[17]
Deputy Leader of the Victorian Liberal Party
Groth resigned from the Pesutto shadow cabinet on 13 December 2024, following Pesutto's loss in a defamation case brought by Moira Deeming, stating: "In good conscience, I can no longer continue to serve in this role".[18] This move was criticised by some moderate members of the party.[19]
On 27 December 2024, Groth was elected unopposed as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party under new leader Brad Battin as part of a broader spill and change among parliamentary leadership.[20]
Groth was re-elected as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party under new leader Jess Wilson on 18 November 2025, defeating former Deputy Leader David Southwick in a party room ballot.
Following a subsequent Shadow Cabinet reshuffle, Groth was appointed Shadow Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events and Shadow Minister for Trade and Investment. [21]
Expenses controversy
Groth came under scrutiny in May 2025 after it was revealed he borrowed Liberal Party colleague Georgie Crozier's chauffeur to drive him to his home in Rye following a fundraising event at the 2024 Australian Open tennis tournament. The Herald Sun newspaper claimed Groth was "smashed" at the event, with Groth denied.[22] Crozier subsequently stated that Groth "needs to explain his actions."[23][24]
Groth issued a statement saying he had attended the Australian Open in his capacity as Shadow Minister for Sport, Tourism and Events, meeting with industry stakeholders before attending a fundraiser in the evening.
Additionally, Groth stated he occasionally stays overnight in Melbourne if he has evening events and commitments the next day in the city, given the distance between Melbourne and his electorate of Nepean.
It was also revealed Groth had claimed $1,400 for flights and accommodation to visit South Australia to meet with a South Australian Liberal Party colleague and attend the LIV golf event in Adelaide with his wife. Groth stated that he attended the LIV event in South Australia at the invitation of event organisers to meet with stakeholders.[25][26]
Retirement from politics
In January 2026, Groth announced he would not contest the 2026 Victorian state election, saying "The public pressure placed on my family in recent months has been significant and realising that some of it came from within my own party has been difficult to ignore."[27]
Groth married partner Brittany Boys in 2018. Boys, a Melburnian, was an amateur women's tennis player and competed at the university level for the University of Richmond in the United States.[30] Groth and Boys have two children, twin boys born in April 2021.[31][32]
In 2025, in articles subsequently removed from the Herald Sun website and social media accounts, the newspaper alleged that Boys and Groth started their relationship after meeting at a Templestowe tennis club in 2011 while Groth was either 23 or 24 and Boys was 16 or 17 and under his supervision as a tennis coach.[33] The paper claimed "concerns had been raised within the Liberal Party because Mr Groth was in his mid-20s and Ms Groth may have been under 18 at the time.”[34][35] Melbourne’s other major newspaper, The Age, reported that there was a suggestion that “the allegations about his personal life had been fanned by MPs within his own party.[36]
Subsequently, the Groths each released a statement condemning the Herald Sun’s coverage and sued the newspaper for defamation.[37]
In November 2025, the Herald Sun published an apology to Groth and his wife as part of the settlement of the lawsuit[38] which The Age newspaper reported was part of a confidential agreement worth "hundreds of thousands of dollars".[39]
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