Roland Garros · R128 · Clay · 24 May 2015
Paul Henri Mathieu v Kei Nishikori
74–104 in points · Kei Nishikori won
Why it went the way it did
Kei Nishikori won 17.4 more points than Paul Henri Mathieu relative to what the serve alone predicted. Paul Henri Mathieu's biggest leaks: backhand execution −6.2, serve 1st execution −3.4, return execution −2.9.
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 | Paul Henri Mathieu | Kei Nishikori | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dir | Sel | Exec | Total | Dir | Sel | Exec | Total | |
| Serve 1st | −0.1 | −0.1 | −3.4 | −3.6 | −0.2 | −0.1 | −0.9 | −1.2 |
| Serve 2nd | +0.1 | ±0.0 | +0.4 | +0.5 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | −0.1 |
| Return | +0.1 | −0.2 | −2.9 | −3.0 | +0.3 | −0.1 | +2.0 | +2.2 |
| Forehand | −0.3 | +1.5 | −1.6 | −0.4 | −0.5 | +1.3 | −1.1 | −0.3 |
| Backhand | −0.7 | −1.6 | −6.2 | −8.5 | −0.2 | −1.1 | +3.8 | +2.5 |
| Slice | +0.1 | −1.4 | −0.1 | −1.3 | −0.1 | −3.0 | −0.9 | −4.0 |
| Net | ±0.0 | +0.2 | −0.8 | −0.6 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +0.7 | +0.7 |
| Touch | +0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | −0.2 | +1.1 | +0.8 |
| All shots | −0.6 | −1.6 | −14.7 | −16.9 | −0.7 | −3.2 | +4.4 | +0.5 |
Set by set
| Set | Paul Henri Mathieu | Kei Nishikori | Net, Paul | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | −6.3 | −0.8 | −5.5 | |
| 2 | −5.7 | −0.3 | −5.5 | |
| 3 | −4.9 | +1.5 | −6.4 |
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.
Paul Henri Mathieu serving
| Set | Wide | Body | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 62% 58% | 3% 100% | 36% 43% |
| 2 | 58% 48% | 20% 38% | 23% 56% |
| 3 | 50% 50% | 20% 75% | 30% 17% |
Set to set −0.38 per 100 first serves in sets 2+
Within sets +0.03 per 100 first serves, every two to three service games
Kei Nishikori serving
| Set | Wide | Body | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 55% 75% | 23% 80% | 23% 60% |
| 2 | 36% 77% | 17% 67% | 47% 47% |
| 3 | 52% 73% | 19% 75% | 29% 83% |
Set to set +1.62 per 100 first serves in sets 2+
Within sets −0.25 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.
Paul Henri Mathieu
7.4 points left on the table across 302 shots 2.44 per 100 shots
- Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your backhand side hit BH through the middle ×10; BH crosscourt rates higher · 0.39 pts
- Return of a 1st serve, T, ad court hit FH through the middle ×2; FH inside-in rates higher · 0.33 pts
- Serve +1: mid-depth return to your backhand side hit BH through the middle ×6; BH down the line rates higher · 0.29 pts
- Return +1: drive to your forehand side hit FH through the middle ×5; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.29 pts
Kei Nishikori
8.0 points left on the table across 314 shots 2.56 per 100 shots
- Return of a 1st serve, T, ad court hit FH through the middle ×4; FH inside-in rates higher · 0.65 pts
- Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your backhand side hit BH through the middle ×10; BH crosscourt rates higher · 0.39 pts
- Serve +1: mid-depth return to your middle hit FH through the middle ×4; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.35 pts
- Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your forehand side hit FH through the middle ×6; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.30 pts