Cincinnati Masters · SF · Hard · 18 Aug 2007
James Blake v Nikolay Davydenko
65–53 in points · James Blake won
Why it went the way it did
James Blake won 5.4 more points than Nikolay Davydenko relative to what the serve alone predicted. Nikolay Davydenko's biggest leaks: return execution −3.6, forehand execution −3.5, slice shot selection −1.3.
Each shot moves its hitter's chance of winning the point. Those moves are split into direction choice, shot selection and execution, and summed here. Read both columns together: one player's gain is the other's loss.
| Shot | James Blake | Nikolay Davydenko | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dir | Sel | Exec | Total | Dir | Sel | Exec | Total | |
| Serve 1st | +0.1 | −0.2 | −1.4 | −1.4 | ±0.0 | −0.2 | +0.4 | +0.2 |
| Serve 2nd | ±0.0 | −0.1 | +0.6 | +0.5 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | −0.1 |
| Return | +0.3 | +0.5 | +2.2 | +3.0 | +0.3 | +0.3 | −3.6 | −3.0 |
| Forehand | +0.3 | +2.1 | −4.8 | −2.5 | +0.1 | +1.7 | −3.5 | −1.8 |
| Backhand | −0.1 | −0.1 | +0.3 | +0.1 | −0.1 | −0.3 | +1.5 | +1.0 |
| Slice | ±0.0 | −0.9 | −0.4 | −1.4 | −0.3 | −1.3 | −1.1 | −2.7 |
| Net | −0.1 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.1 | +0.1 | −0.4 | −0.2 |
| Touch | ±0.0 | −0.5 | +0.2 | −0.3 | ±0.0 | −0.2 | −0.5 | −0.6 |
| All shots | +0.6 | +0.8 | −3.2 | −1.7 | +0.2 | ±0.0 | −7.3 | −7.2 |
Set by set
| Set | James Blake | Nikolay Davydenko | Net, James | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +0.5 | −1.2 | +1.6 | |
| 2 | −2.2 | −6.0 | +3.8 |
Adaptation
First-serve direction mix set by set, with the share of points each direction won. The scores measure whether the server moved toward the directions that had been winning earlier in this match, set to set and every two to three service games, in points per 100 first serves. Read them as a habit, not a gain: across the tour, a direction's edge in early sets barely predicts the later ones. Whether the returner responded can't be told apart from noise within one match.
James Blake serving
| Set | Wide | Body | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42% 54% | 6% 50% | 52% 50% |
| 2 | 50% 80% | 3% 0% | 47% 57% |
Set to set −0.14 per 100 first serves in sets 2+
Within sets −0.82 per 100 first serves, every two to three service games
Nikolay Davydenko serving
| Set | Wide | Body | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41% 54% | 6% 0% | 53% 47% |
| 2 | 36% 44% | 8% 100% | 56% 50% |
Set to set −0.05 per 100 first serves in sets 2+
Within sets +0.53 per 100 first serves, every two to three service games
Counterfactual: the best direction every time
If each shot had gone in the direction that is usually worth most for that stroke and position, this is how many more points each player would expect to win. It's an upper bound: the best direction isn't always on, and the chart can't see the ball's pace or position.
James Blake
4.2 points left on the table across 208 shots 2.00 per 100 shots
- Long rally, 9+: drive to your backhand side, you at net hit BH volley through the middle ×1; BH volley crosscourt rates higher · 0.24 pts
- Serve +1: deep return to your middle hit FH through the middle ×3; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.22 pts
- Return of a 1st serve, wide, ad court hit BH down the line ×2; BH crosscourt rates higher · 0.18 pts
- Long rally, 9+: drive to your middle hit FH through the middle ×3; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.16 pts
Nikolay Davydenko
4.8 points left on the table across 215 shots 2.23 per 100 shots
- Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your backhand side hit BH through the middle ×6; BH crosscourt rates higher · 0.23 pts
- Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your backhand side hit BH slice through the middle ×3; BH slice crosscourt rates higher · 0.22 pts
- Return of a 2nd serve, T, ad court hit FH through the middle ×2; FH inside-out rates higher · 0.18 pts
- Serve +1: mid-depth return to your forehand side hit FH through the middle ×2; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.18 pts