RallyIQ

Game plan

Aleksandar Vukic v Zizou Bergs

Every number combines what Aleksandar Vukic does well with what Zizou Bergs allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Aleksandar Vukic wins, best of 3 40%90%: 16%–70% · best of 5: 38%
Serve points won 63.3% / 65.3% Aleksandar / Zizou · tour 63.4%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 40%serve 63.3% / 65.3%

Each player's serve and return strength is fitted against every opponent they were charted against, so a record built on weak opponents counts for less. At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers. The result is then nudged by Aleksandar Vukic's record against Zizou Bergs's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads. A game-by-game Markov chain turns point odds into match odds; the 90% range covers the uncertainty in the two strengths, not the nudges. Charted matches lean toward big events, so treat this as a scouting estimate, not a betting line.

Head to head, per 100 shots

CareerAleksandarZizou
Direction choice−0.13 ±0.20
better than 24%
−0.08 ±0.07
better than 36%
Shot selection+0.04 ±0.24
better than 58%
+0.25 ±0.19
better than 75%
Execution−0.89 ±0.39
better than 28%
−1.10 ±0.72
better than 22%
Points left on the table2.44 ±0.25
lower than 68%
2.64 ±0.13
lower than 46%

Each player's career against an average tour player in the same position, adjusted for opponent strength, with a 90% margin (shots clustered by match). Points left on the table is the gap to the best-value direction for the same stroke, so lower is better. Percentiles are within each player's own tour. A side is highlighted only when the gap is larger than the margin on the difference.

Structural compatibility

Expected edge per 100 rally shots from style alone: Aleksandar Vukic −1.69, Zizou Bergs −0.66. Each player's shot mix weighted by their own skill with each shot and by how much the other gives up against it. This is why some rankings gaps don't hold in a given matchup.

Serve plan

The share of points the server wins when a first serve lands in that direction (hover a rate for its 90% interval; ± is the 90% margin). "Matchup" combines the server's rate with how this returner handles that serve. "Optimal" is the mix that wins most against this returner once they start reading a habit, at the response measured across the tour, and only within the range servers' habits actually vary. The gain over the current mix is how exploitable that mix is.

Aleksandar Vukic serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowAleksandar winsv ZizouMatchupOptimal
Wide44%70%73%69.7%±7.140% ▼
Body9%56%63%56.5%±14.30% ▼
T47%78%73%76.2%±6.760% ▲

Optimal v Zizou Bergs: +0.9±0.8 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +4.6 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowAleksandar winsv ZizouMatchupOptimal
Wide53%77%74%77.2%±6.646% ▼
Body5%62%66%65.1%±14.30% ▼
T41%72%77%77.3%±6.854% ▲

Optimal v Zizou Bergs: +0.3±0.8 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +0.7 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Zizou Bergs serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowZizou winsv AleksandarMatchupOptimal
Wide45%75%75%77.2%±6.843% ▼
Body11%68%59%63.8%±11.40% ▼
T44%76%86%86.6%±5.157% ▲

Optimal v Aleksandar Vukic: +1.3±0.9 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +6.8 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowZizou winsv AleksandarMatchupOptimal
Wide48%72%73%72.0%±7.244% ▼
Body9%67%62%65.2%±13.20% ▼
T43%65%81%76.0%±7.956% ▲

Optimal v Aleksandar Vukic: +0.5±0.8 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +2.9 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Return plan

Value of each return, in points per 100 returns against an average return of the same serve (direction, court, surface): the tour's result with that return, the returner's own edge with it, and what this server gives up when it comes back to that side. Returns with no charted direction are left out, so values compare with each other rather than with zero. Depth isn't a choice here: missed returns have no depth. Serve quality isn't charted, so a block through the middle partly reflects the serve that forced it.

Aleksandar Vukic returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv ZizouValue
FH through the middle52%+4.3−0.5−2.1+1.7±2.9
FH crosscourt22%+5.5+2.7+3.4+11.6±4.4
FH down the line21%+1.7−2.5±0.0−0.8±4.4
FH slice through the middle5%−4.2−0.7−1.1−6.0±1.9

Lean FH crosscourt: +8.6±3.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (126 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv ZizouValue
BH through the middle46%+6.4+0.1−2.0+4.5±2.6
BH crosscourt26%+8.8−2.5+1.7+8.0±3.5
BH down the line13%+4.2−4.2+0.9+0.9±4.5
BH slice through the middle9%−4.2−1.5−1.3−7.0±2.4
BH slice down the line4%−8.4−1.8−0.4−10.5±3.0

Lean BH crosscourt: +4.8±3.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (224 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv ZizouValue
BH through the middle44%−2.9±0.0−1.4−4.3±2.5
BH crosscourt29%+1.0−1.5+0.1−0.3±3.2
BH down the line10%−0.2−1.1±0.0−1.3±4.4
FH through the middle7%−2.9−0.5−0.1−3.5±1.9
FH inside-out6%+1.0+0.5−4.5−3.0±3.1

Lean BH crosscourt: +2.2±2.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (104 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

Zizou Bergs returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AleksandarValue
FH through the middle51%+4.3+0.1±0.0+4.4±2.8
FH down the line26%+1.7−3.0−0.9−2.2±4.4
FH crosscourt13%+5.5+2.7±0.0+8.2±4.4
FH slice through the middle6%−4.2−0.1−0.6−5.0±2.2
FH slice crosscourt3%−4.3−0.5+0.3−4.6±1.9

Lean FH crosscourt: +6.0±4.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (344 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AleksandarValue
BH through the middle40%+6.4−0.9−0.9+4.6±2.7
BH crosscourt21%+8.8−1.6−2.9+4.3±3.5
BH slice through the middle18%−4.2−1.0−1.7−6.9±2.5
BH down the line8%+4.2+0.3+1.9+6.3±4.5
BH slice down the line7%−8.4+0.1−1.3−9.6±2.8

Lean BH down the line: +4.8±4.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (306 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AleksandarValue
FH through the middle57%−3.5−1.7+0.2−4.9±2.9
FH down the line29%−1.8−0.2−0.3−2.2±4.7
FH crosscourt14%−0.2+0.6+1.9+2.3±4.1

Lean FH crosscourt: +5.4±4.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (124 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AleksandarValue
BH crosscourt45%+1.0−1.7−1.3−1.9±3.2
BH through the middle40%−2.9−3.3+0.1−6.1±2.5
BH down the line5%−0.2+1.0+2.9+3.8±4.4
BH slice through the middle4%−11.3−0.7−0.8−12.8±1.8
FH through the middle4%−2.9+0.3+0.2−2.4±2.1

Lean BH crosscourt: +1.7±2.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (193 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

Rally plan

Edge, in points per 100 shots: the hitter's skill with the shot (own) plus how much the receiver usually gives up against it (theirs), both measured against the tour average.

Aleksandar Vukic

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · return+5.0±4.6+1.5+3.5
FH to their forehand · return +1+3.4±4.2+2.9+0.5
BH to the middle · return +1+1.6±2.6±0.0+1.6
FH to their forehand · rally+1.5±2.7+0.6+0.9
FH to the middle · serve +1+0.7±2.7+0.1+0.6
BH to their backhand · return +1+0.2±3.5−1.5+1.7

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · rally−6.7±2.6−1.8−4.9
BH to their forehand · rally−5.6±4.2−2.8−2.7
FH to their forehand · serve +1−4.7±3.6−3.5−1.2
FH to the middle · return−2.8±2.4−0.9−1.9
BH to the middle · return−2.4±2.1−0.3−2.1

Zizou Bergs

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · return+3.8±4.6+2.6+1.2
FH to the middle · return +1+2.6±2.8+1.6+1.1
FH to their forehand · serve +1+2.5±3.7−0.3+2.8
FH to their backhand · rally+1.8±2.7−0.9+2.7
BH to their backhand · serve +1+1.5±3.3+0.3+1.1
BH to their forehand · return+1.4±4.6−2.0+3.4

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH slice to their backhand · rally−4.8±2.6−2.3−2.5
BH to their backhand · return−4.3±3.1−0.9−3.4
FH to their backhand · serve +1−3.4±3.3−3.8+0.4
BH to the middle · return−3.4±2.2−2.6−0.8
FH to their backhand · return−3.3±3.8−2.2−1.1

Against Zizou Bergs-like opponents

Aleksandar Vukic vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–62.3%30.7%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Stefanos Tsitsipas, Ben Shelton, Tallon Griekspoor, Zhizhen Zhang, Felix Auger Aliassime, Alexei Popyrin, Roman Safiullin, Otto Virtanen, Lucas Pouille, Sam Querrey. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.