RallyIQ

Game plan

Alexandr Dolgopolov v Alexander Shevchenko

Every number combines what Alexandr Dolgopolov does well with what Alexander Shevchenko allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Alexandr Dolgopolov wins, best of 3 87%90%: 55%–98% · best of 5: 92%
Serve points won 68.9% / 60.0% Alexandr / Alexander · tour 65.7%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 87%serve 68.9% / 60.0%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Alexandr Dolgopolov's record against Alexander Shevchenko'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

CareerAlexandrAlexander
Direction choice+0.18 ±0.06
better than 92%
+0.04 ±0.10
better than 68%
Shot selection−0.24 ±0.16
better than 28%
−0.13 ±0.20
better than 35%
Execution−0.90 ±0.66
better than 28%
−0.49 ±0.62
better than 45%
Points left on the table2.15 ±0.12
lower than 96%
2.49 ±0.17
lower than 61%

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.

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.

Alexandr Dolgopolov serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowAlexandr winsv AlexanderMatchupOptimal
Wide65%73%73%73.5%±5.859% ▼
Body7%63%71%70.8%±12.90% ▼
T28%80%79%83.8%±5.541% ▲

Optimal v Alexander Shevchenko: +0.7±0.8 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +7.6 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowAlexandr winsv AlexanderMatchupOptimal
Wide58%70%73%70.6%±6.352% ▼
Body7%62%63%62.8%±15.20% ▼
T35%74%76%78.2%±6.548% ▲

Optimal v Alexander Shevchenko: +1.0±0.8 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +5.5 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Alexander Shevchenko serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowAlexander winsv AlexandrMatchupOptimal
Wide52%65%75%67.7%±6.365% ▲
Body8%59%68%63.9%±11.60% ▼
T40%66%72%62.7%±7.735% ▼

Optimal v Alexandr Dolgopolov: +0.2±0.7 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +2.3 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowAlexander winsv AlexandrMatchupOptimal
Wide49%62%74%63.3%±7.443% ▼
Body8%60%60%56.9%±12.80% ▼
T44%61%76%65.8%±7.457% ▲

Optimal v Alexandr Dolgopolov: +0.5±0.8 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +1.9 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.

Alexandr Dolgopolov returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AlexanderValue
FH slice through the middle36%−4.2+1.7−0.2−2.7±2.2
FH slice down the line20%−4.3+0.6+1.4−2.3±2.9
FH down the line18%+1.7−7.1+0.7−4.8±4.5
FH through the middle15%+4.3−3.0+1.4+2.7±2.9
FH slice crosscourt6%−4.3+1.7+0.2−2.4±2.5
FH crosscourt5%+5.5−2.3+3.1+6.3±4.2

Lean FH crosscourt: +8.0±4.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (401 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AlexanderValue
BH through the middle47%+6.4−1.3+2.5+7.7±2.5
BH crosscourt30%+8.8+0.1+1.8+10.7±3.4
BH down the line10%+4.2−1.4+4.1+7.0±4.6
BH slice through the middle6%−4.2−1.6+1.7−4.2±2.4
BH slice crosscourt4%+0.5−1.7−1.1−2.3±2.7

Lean BH crosscourt: +3.8±2.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (344 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AlexanderValue
FH down the line39%−1.8+2.3−0.3+0.2±4.7
FH through the middle24%−3.5−1.7−0.8−6.0±2.7
FH slice down the line17%−9.4−0.6±0.0−10.0±1.9
FH crosscourt10%−0.2−0.4+2.2+1.6±3.9
FH slice through the middle10%−12.7−0.4+0.2−12.8±1.6

Lean FH down the line: +4.4±3.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (94 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AlexanderValue
BH crosscourt52%+1.0−0.9+2.9+3.0±3.1
BH through the middle31%−2.9−1.6+0.9−3.6±2.5
BH down the line13%−0.2−0.6+4.3+3.4±4.8
BH slice crosscourt5%−4.0±0.0±0.0−4.0±1.3

Lean BH down the line: +2.7±4.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (175 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

Alexander Shevchenko returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AlexandrValue
FH through the middle45%+4.3+3.5+0.6+8.3±2.7
FH crosscourt24%+5.5+1.7−0.2+7.0±4.4
FH down the line11%+1.7+0.6−1.1+1.3±4.4
FH slice through the middle11%−4.2−0.9+0.9−4.2±2.3
FH slice crosscourt5%−4.3−0.4+1.3−3.5±2.3

Lean FH through the middle: +3.4±1.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (245 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AlexandrValue
BH through the middle36%+6.4+2.5−0.9+8.0±2.7
BH crosscourt27%+8.8+1.3+0.1+10.3±3.5
BH slice through the middle17%−4.2−0.2+1.0−3.5±2.5
BH slice crosscourt10%+0.5−1.2+1.5+0.8±3.0
BH down the line7%+4.2−0.6−1.0+2.6±4.3

Lean BH crosscourt: +5.2±2.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (298 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AlexandrValue
FH through the middle55%−3.5−0.1+2.0−1.6±2.8
FH crosscourt38%−0.2−0.1−0.8−1.1±4.2
FH down the line7%−1.8−2.8−0.4−5.0±3.7

Lean FH crosscourt: +0.6±3.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (74 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AlexandrValue
BH through the middle52%−2.9+1.8−3.4−4.5±2.3
BH crosscourt37%+1.0−1.6+1.1+0.5±3.0
BH down the line11%−0.2+1.0+1.3+2.1±4.9

Lean BH down the line: +4.0±4.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (238 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 on grass. Each player's grass record is shrunk toward their all-surface one, so a thin sample on it moves the numbers only a little.

Alexandr Dolgopolov

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · rally+7.6±5.5+3.3+4.3
FH to their backhand · return +1+7.5±4.8+5.5+2.0
BH to their forehand · serve +1+4.6±5.7−2.3+6.9
BH to their backhand · serve +1+3.6±3.9+1.0+2.5
BH to their forehand · return+3.5±4.5−2.4+5.8
BH to the middle · return+2.6±3.5+0.3+2.3

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · serve +1−4.9±5.0−3.5−1.4
FH to their forehand · rally−4.7±3.9−6.5+1.8
FH to their backhand · return−4.7±4.9−4.8+0.1
FH to their forehand · return +1−3.9±5.0−0.9−3.0
FH to their backhand · rally−2.1±4.8−2.3+0.2

Alexander Shevchenko

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to the middle · return+4.6±3.7+2.3+2.2
FH to their forehand · return+3.1±5.4+2.1+1.0
BH to their backhand · return+2.2±3.9+0.9+1.3
FH to the middle · return +1+2.0±3.4+1.9+0.1
BH to their backhand · rally+1.3±3.1−1.0+2.3
FH to the middle · rally+1.1±3.3−1.1+2.2

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · return +1−7.5±5.0−1.1−6.4
FH to their forehand · serve +1−7.4±5.4−1.0−6.4
BH to their forehand · serve +1−4.9±4.7−2.5−2.5
BH to their backhand · serve +1−3.5±4.0+0.3−3.8
FH to their backhand · return−3.0±4.9−0.2−2.7

Against Alexander Shevchenko-like opponents

Alexandr Dolgopolov vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–61.8%34.3%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Arthur Fils, Jakub Mensik, Karen Khachanov, Laslo Djere, Alexandre Muller, Holger Rune, Roman Safiullin, Fabio Fognini, Otto Virtanen, Gregoire Barrere. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.