RallyIQ

Game plan

Alexandre Muller v Jordan Thompson

Every number combines what Alexandre Muller does well with what Jordan Thompson allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Alexandre Muller wins, best of 3 33%90%: 10%–65% · best of 5: 29%
Serve points won 63.9% / 67.5% Alexandre / Jordan · tour 65.7%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 33%serve 63.9% / 67.5%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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

CareerAlexandreJordan
Direction choice−0.14 ±0.16
better than 20%
−0.21 ±0.06
better than 12%
Shot selection−0.44 ±0.31
better than 14%
+0.10 ±0.18
better than 66%
Execution−0.70 ±0.65
better than 36%
−0.30 ±0.53
better than 53%
Points left on the table2.74 ±0.37
lower than 36%
2.84 ±0.13
lower than 27%

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.

Alexandre Muller serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowAlexandre winsv JordanMatchupOptimal
Wide49%65%78%71.8%±6.562% ▲
Body12%55%65%56.8%±12.40% ▼
T39%64%74%63.2%±8.138%

Optimal v Jordan Thompson: +0.6±0.9 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +5.1 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowAlexandre winsv JordanMatchupOptimal
Wide46%67%68%61.5%±8.059% ▲
Body11%55%59%50.6%±12.70% ▼
T44%63%72%63.2%±7.641% ▼

Optimal v Jordan Thompson: +0.2±0.9 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +2.1 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Jordan Thompson serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowJordan winsv AlexandreMatchupOptimal
Wide44%71%79%77.2%±6.242% ▼
Body11%63%62%61.9%±12.40% ▼
T45%77%80%81.3%±6.158% ▲

Optimal v Alexandre Muller: +0.8±0.8 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +3.9 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowJordan winsv AlexandreMatchupOptimal
Wide44%74%79%79.4%±6.157% ▲
Body8%67%71%74.5%±11.50% ▼
T48%72%75%75.4%±7.443% ▼

Optimal v Alexandre Muller: +0.4±0.8 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.

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.

Alexandre Muller returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv JordanValue
FH through the middle41%+4.3+0.4−1.5+3.2±2.7
FH slice through the middle19%−4.2+0.4−2.3−6.1±2.3
FH down the line17%+1.7−1.7−2.7−2.7±4.3
FH crosscourt13%+5.5−3.1−0.7+1.7±4.1
FH slice down the line6%−4.3+1.1+0.8−2.4±2.7

Lean FH through the middle: +3.6±1.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (169 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv JordanValue
BH through the middle47%+6.4+1.0−1.1+6.3±2.6
BH crosscourt24%+8.8−1.3±0.0+7.5±3.5
BH slice through the middle14%−4.2−2.4+0.3−6.3±2.4
BH down the line12%+4.2+1.1+0.3+5.7±4.4
BH slice crosscourt3%+0.5−1.6+0.1−1.0±2.5

Lean BH crosscourt: +3.0±3.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (178 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv JordanValue
FH through the middle40%−3.5−0.8+1.6−2.7±2.6
FH down the line24%−1.8−0.6−1.7−4.0±4.3
FH crosscourt22%−0.2+3.0+2.5+5.2±3.8
FH slice through the middle15%−12.7+0.8−0.4−12.3±1.7

Lean FH through the middle: ±0.0±2.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (55 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv JordanValue
BH through the middle45%−2.9−0.7+0.9−2.7±2.3
BH crosscourt30%+1.0+0.6−1.6±0.0±3.1
BH down the line25%−0.2−0.5+3.5+2.8±4.9

Lean BH down the line: +3.3±3.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (115 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

Jordan Thompson returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AlexandreValue
FH through the middle53%+4.3−0.8+2.4+5.9±2.5
FH down the line24%+1.7−4.8+1.1−2.1±4.3
FH crosscourt15%+5.5−2.6−0.7+2.2±4.4
FH slice through the middle5%−4.2+1.9−0.3−2.6±2.2
FH slice crosscourt1%−4.3+0.3−1.9−5.8±1.8

Lean FH through the middle: +3.2±1.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (521 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AlexandreValue
BH through the middle48%+6.4+3.6+0.6+10.7±2.5
BH crosscourt29%+8.8+0.6+1.3+10.7±3.4
BH down the line11%+4.2+2.3+0.2+6.7±4.5
BH slice through the middle7%−4.2−1.4±0.0−5.6±2.5
BH slice crosscourt3%+0.5−3.0+0.7−1.8±2.5

Lean BH crosscourt: +2.5±2.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (485 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AlexandreValue
FH through the middle61%−3.5+2.4+1.2+0.2±2.8
FH crosscourt24%−0.2−2.7−0.6−3.5±4.4
FH down the line15%−1.8−2.3−0.6−4.8±4.6

Lean FH through the middle: +1.6±1.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (150 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AlexandreValue
BH through the middle47%−2.9+0.9+1.4−0.6±2.4
BH crosscourt38%+1.0+1.8+2.4+5.2±3.2
BH down the line9%−0.2+1.2−2.1−1.1±4.7
FH through the middle4%−2.9+0.8+1.2−0.9±2.1
BH slice through the middle2%−11.3−1.1±0.0−12.4±1.0

Lean BH crosscourt: +3.9±2.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (276 returns charted)

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.

Alexandre Muller

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · return +1+4.6±6.3+0.5+4.1
BH to their forehand · return+2.0±6.7−1.2+3.2
FH to their forehand · serve +1+1.8±5.7±0.0+1.9
BH to the middle · serve +1+1.6±3.9−1.9+3.5
BH to the middle · rally±0.0±3.1−0.8+0.8
BH to their backhand · serve +1−0.2±4.9+0.6−0.8

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their backhand · return +1−6.6±5.2−3.5−3.1
BH to their backhand · return−5.3±5.0−1.7−3.6
BH to the middle · return−4.5±3.5−0.6−3.9
BH to their backhand · rally−3.8±3.9−1.0−2.8
FH to their backhand · serve +1−3.5±5.4−5.2+1.7

Jordan Thompson

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to the middle · return+5.9±3.5+4.5+1.4
BH to their backhand · return+5.3±5.0+1.5+3.8
FH to their forehand · serve +1+4.8±5.7+2.9+1.9
BH to their backhand · rally+4.4±4.0+4.1+0.3
FH to the middle · return+4.2±3.5+1.3+2.9
FH to the middle · rally+2.2±3.5+0.9+1.4

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · return−10.9±6.8−4.8−6.1
FH to their backhand · return−5.4±6.0−4.3−1.1
BH to their forehand · rally−5.3±6.1−3.3−2.0
FH to their backhand · return +1−3.8±6.3−0.6−3.2
FH to the middle · serve +1−2.7±4.0−1.6−1.1

Against Jordan Thompson-like opponents

Alexandre Muller vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–55.2%29.6%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Alex De Minaur, Zhizhen Zhang, Nuno Borges, Rinky Hijikata, Miomir Kecmanovic, Arthur Cazaux, Mackenzie Mcdonald, Taro Daniel, Tomas Berdych. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.