RallyIQ

Game plan

Andre Agassi v Andy Murray

Every number combines what Andre Agassi does well with what Andy Murray allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Andre Agassi wins, best of 3 51%90%: 43%–59% · best of 5: 51%
Serve points won 60.7% / 60.5% Andre / Andy · tour 63.8%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 51%serve 60.6% / 60.4%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Andre Agassi's record against Andy Murray's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: +0.6 on serve, −0.4 on return vs expectation (582 points)). 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

CareerAndreAndy
Direction choice+0.32 ±0.03
better than 99%
+0.14 ±0.03
better than 87%
Shot selection−0.27 ±0.09
better than 26%
−0.45 ±0.05
better than 13%
Execution+0.69 ±0.17
better than 88%
+0.94 ±0.16
better than 95%
Points left on the table2.13 ±0.07
lower than 97%
2.23 ±0.05
lower than 90%

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.

Andre Agassi serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowAndre winsv AndyMatchupOptimal
Wide50%71%70%68.0%±1.846% ▼
Body8%63%59%58.3%±4.10% ▼
T41%73%76%73.2%±2.054% ▲

Optimal v Andy Murray: +0.4±0.3 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +3.9 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowAndre winsv AndyMatchupOptimal
Wide59%69%71%66.7%±1.950% ▼
Body4%67%57%61.2%±5.60% ▼
T37%70%68%66.2%±2.350% ▲

Optimal v Andy Murray: +0.3±0.3 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +0.4 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Andy Murray serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowAndy winsv AndreMatchupOptimal
Wide47%71%72%69.5%±1.941% ▼
Body8%67%59%63.0%±4.40% ▼
T46%80%77%81.7%±1.659% ▲

Optimal v Andre Agassi: +0.5±0.3 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +7.1 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowAndy winsv AndreMatchupOptimal
Wide47%77%72%75.7%±1.960% ▲
Body8%61%58%56.2%±4.70% ▼
T45%70%70%68.0%±2.140% ▼

Optimal v Andre Agassi: +0.3±0.3 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +5.0 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.

Andre Agassi returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndyValue
FH through the middle48%+4.3−0.6+1.2+4.8±0.9
FH crosscourt28%+5.5+2.7+1.3+9.5±1.9
FH down the line23%+1.7+0.2+0.2+2.2±1.9
BH through the middle0%+6.6−0.5−0.1+5.9±1.9
BH inside-in0%+7.7+1.5+0.9+10.1±2.7

Lean FH crosscourt: +4.0±1.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (3807 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndyValue
BH crosscourt39%+8.8+0.2+0.9+9.9±1.5
BH through the middle33%+6.4−2.4−0.1+3.9±1.0
BH down the line9%+4.2−3.3+0.1+1.0±2.9
BH slice through the middle8%−4.2−3.0−0.4−7.6±1.4
BH slice crosscourt8%+0.5−2.5+0.5−1.5±1.9

Lean BH crosscourt: +5.6±1.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (4263 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndyValue
FH through the middle40%−3.5+1.6+0.7−1.2±1.3
FH crosscourt31%−0.2+1.5+1.5+2.8±2.3
FH down the line26%−1.8+1.8+2.6+2.6±2.6
BH through the middle2%+0.1−0.8+1.1+0.5±1.5
BH inside-in1%+2.5+1.2+1.8+5.5±2.4

Lean BH inside-in: +4.4±2.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (1567 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndyValue
BH crosscourt48%+1.0+0.5+1.8+3.3±1.1
BH through the middle26%−2.9−0.9+1.1−2.7±1.0
BH down the line8%−0.2+3.7+1.3+4.8±3.0
FH inside-out7%+1.0+1.8+2.6+5.3±2.3
FH through the middle5%−2.9−0.5+0.7−2.7±1.6
FH inside-in3%+0.6+4.0+1.5+6.0±3.2

Lean FH inside-in: +4.6±3.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (3764 returns charted)

Andy Murray returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndreValue
FH through the middle42%+4.3+1.4−0.2+5.4±0.9
FH down the line17%+1.7+6.2−1.3+6.5±1.9
FH crosscourt16%+5.5+1.9−0.6+6.8±1.9
FH slice through the middle14%−4.2+2.7+3.2+1.7±1.4
FH slice down the line5%−4.3+3.1+4.1+2.9±2.6

Lean FH crosscourt: +1.8±1.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (5314 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndreValue
BH crosscourt27%+8.8+4.6+1.6+15.0±1.4
BH through the middle25%+6.4+2.2−0.8+7.9±1.1
BH slice through the middle25%−4.2+2.7+2.7+1.2±1.0
BH slice crosscourt15%+0.5+2.4+5.9+8.8±1.3
BH slice down the line4%−8.4+0.9+3.3−4.1±2.6

Lean BH crosscourt: +7.3±1.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (4642 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndreValue
FH through the middle43%−3.5+1.6+0.2−1.7±1.5
FH down the line28%−1.8+2.5+0.6+1.4±2.8
FH crosscourt23%−0.2+1.9+0.7+2.4±2.7
BH through the middle3%+0.1−1.3+0.5−0.7±1.6
BH inside-in1%+2.5+2.7+1.1+6.2±2.5

Lean BH inside-in: +6.0±2.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (1297 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndreValue
BH crosscourt57%+1.0+1.7+1.1+3.8±1.2
BH through the middle29%−2.9+0.1+0.5−2.3±1.2
BH down the line7%−0.2+2.4+2.3+4.5±3.5
BH slice crosscourt3%−4.0−1.9+2.9−3.0±2.0
BH slice through the middle2%−11.3−1.4+2.1−10.6±2.0

Lean BH down the line: +3.0±3.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (2339 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 hard. Each player's hard record is shrunk toward their all-surface one, so a thin sample on it moves the numbers only a little.

Andre Agassi

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · return+5.9±1.8+3.5+2.4
BH lob to the middle · rally+4.8±3.8+0.1+4.7
FH to their forehand · return +1+4.7±1.7+3.2+1.5
BH drop shot to their forehand · rally+4.4±5.6+3.9+0.6
BH volley to their backhand · rally+4.1±5.0+5.4−1.3
FH volley to their backhand · rally+3.8±5.4+4.2−0.4

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
Smash to the middle · rally−10.4±6.4−7.7−2.7
FH lob to the middle · rally−5.9±5.2−6.0+0.1
Smash to their forehand · rally−4.6±4.0−3.9−0.7
BH slice to the middle · serve +1−3.8±3.2−3.8±0.0
BH slice to the middle · return−3.6±1.6−2.9−0.7

Andy Murray

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH volley to their forehand · serve +1+10.1±6.6+10.7−0.6
FH slice to their forehand · return+9.9±3.5+5.4+4.5
FH volley to their forehand · rally+9.5±4.3+4.3+5.2
BH slice to their backhand · return+8.0±1.4+3.3+4.6
BH lob to the middle · return +1+7.7±2.9+3.8+4.0
FH slice to the middle · return +1+7.7±3.8+0.7+7.0

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH volley to their backhand · rally−4.5±5.1−1.1−3.5
Smash to their backhand · rally−3.7±5.2−1.6−2.1
BH volley to their forehand · rally−3.1±4.8+2.8−6.0
BH to their forehand · return +1−2.7±2.8−1.4−1.3
FH volley to the middle · rally−2.2±7.0+2.7−4.9

Against Andy Murray-like opponents

Andre Agassi vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–64.5%38.6%
Players most similar to Andy Murray2 63.6%39.4%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Learner Tien, Daniil Medvedev, Novak Djokovic, Karen Khachanov, Laslo Djere, Nishesh Basavareddy, Richard Gasquet, Andreas Seppi, Marcos Baghdatis, David Nalbandian. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.