US Open · R64 · Hard · 29 Aug 2018
Denis Kudla v Juan Martin Del Potro
66–95 in points · Juan Martin Del Potro won
Why it went the way it did
Juan Martin Del Potro won 16.1 more points than Denis Kudla relative to what the serve alone predicted. Denis Kudla's biggest leaks: slice shot selection −2.2, return execution −2.2, serve 2nd execution −1.5.
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 | Denis Kudla | Juan Martin Del Potro | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dir | Sel | Exec | Total | Dir | Sel | Exec | Total | |
| Serve 1st | −0.2 | −0.1 | −0.6 | −0.9 | +0.1 | −0.1 | +5.4 | +5.4 |
| Serve 2nd | ±0.0 | −0.1 | −1.5 | −1.5 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.3 |
| Return | −0.3 | −0.5 | −2.2 | −3.0 | +0.7 | −0.5 | −1.8 | −1.6 |
| Forehand | −0.4 | +1.1 | −1.5 | −0.8 | −0.3 | +1.3 | +2.7 | +3.7 |
| Backhand | −0.1 | −1.0 | −0.7 | −1.8 | −0.1 | +0.1 | +1.9 | +1.8 |
| Slice | +0.1 | −2.2 | −0.6 | −2.7 | +1.2 | −5.1 | +0.6 | −3.3 |
| Net | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.9 | +1.6 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | +0.2 | +0.1 |
| Touch | ±0.0 | +0.1 | −1.0 | −0.9 | +0.1 | −0.6 | ±0.0 | −0.5 |
| All shots | −0.6 | −2.3 | −7.2 | −10.1 | +1.7 | −5.1 | +9.3 | +6.0 |
Set by set
| Set | Denis Kudla | Juan Martin Del Potro | Net, Denis | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | −6.9 | −0.3 | −6.6 | |
| 2 | −4.0 | +5.1 | −9.1 | |
| 3 | +0.8 | +1.2 | −0.4 |
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.
Denis Kudla serving
| Set | Wide | Body | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40% 64% | 11% 50% | 49% 47% |
| 2 | 27% 50% | 13% 0% | 60% 33% |
| 3 | 42% 100% | 14% 60% | 44% 56% |
Set to set +0.42 per 100 first serves in sets 2+
Within sets +0.50 per 100 first serves, every two to three service games
Juan Martin Del Potro serving
| Set | Wide | Body | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 35% 57% | 15% 100% | 50% 90% |
| 2 | 56% 100% | – | 44% 75% |
| 3 | 46% 65% | 8% 0% | 46% 100% |
Set to set +1.33 per 100 first serves in sets 2+
Within sets +1.01 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.
Denis Kudla
6.1 points left on the table across 278 shots 2.20 per 100 shots
- Return of a 1st serve, wide, ad court hit BH slice down the line ×2; BH slice crosscourt rates higher · 0.34 pts
- Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your forehand side hit FH through the middle ×6; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.30 pts
- Long rally, 9+: slice to your backhand side hit BH through the middle ×4; BH down the line rates higher · 0.26 pts
- Rally, shots 5–8: drop shot to your forehand side hit FH through the middle ×1; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.22 pts
Juan Martin Del Potro
4.7 points left on the table across 267 shots 1.75 per 100 shots
- Return +1: drive to your middle hit FH through the middle ×5; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.30 pts
- Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your backhand side hit BH slice through the middle ×4; BH slice crosscourt rates higher · 0.29 pts
- Long rally, 9+: drive to your backhand side hit BH slice through the middle ×4; BH slice crosscourt rates higher · 0.28 pts
- Return of a 2nd serve, T, ad court hit FH down the line ×2; FH inside-out rates higher · 0.17 pts