RallyIQ

Game plan

Andy Murray v Daniel Evans

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

Forecast

Andy Murray wins, best of 3 63%90%: 37%–84% · best of 5: 66%
Serve points won 61.8% / 59.2% Andy / Daniel · tour 63.4%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 65%serve 62.2% / 59.2%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Andy Murray's record against Daniel Evans's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: −1.5 on serve, −0.1 on return vs expectation (1157 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

CareerAndyDaniel
Direction choice+0.14 ±0.03
better than 87%
−0.03 ±0.17
better than 48%
Shot selection−0.45 ±0.05
better than 13%
−1.18 ±0.22
better than 1%
Execution+0.94 ±0.16
better than 95%
+0.37 ±0.40
better than 81%
Points left on the table2.23 ±0.05
lower than 90%
3.06 ±0.27
lower than 17%

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: Andy Murray +0.16, Daniel Evans +1.57. 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.

Andy Murray serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowAndy winsv DanielMatchupOptimal
Wide47%71%71%68.7%±4.260% ▲
Body8%67%63%66.9%±7.40% ▼
T46%80%73%78.4%±3.440% ▼

Optimal v Daniel Evans: +0.3±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +5.4 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowAndy winsv DanielMatchupOptimal
Wide47%77%70%74.2%±3.760% ▲
Body8%61%66%64.7%±8.40% ▼
T45%70%65%62.7%±5.140% ▼

Optimal v Daniel Evans: +0.2±0.5 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +5.9 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Daniel Evans serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowDaniel winsv AndyMatchupOptimal
Wide31%74%70%70.9%±4.644% ▲
Body12%62%59%57.7%±7.50% ▼
T57%73%76%73.6%±3.656%

Optimal v Andy Murray: +0.6±0.7 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +2.8 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowDaniel winsv AndyMatchupOptimal
Wide56%73%71%70.6%±4.069% ▲
Body9%57%57%50.8%±8.50% ▼
T34%67%68%63.2%±5.031% ▼

Optimal v Andy Murray: +0.7±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving wide every time would read +4.4 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.

Andy Murray returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DanielValue
FH through the middle42%+4.3+1.4+0.9+6.5±1.7
FH down the line17%+1.7+6.2+5.9+13.8±3.3
FH crosscourt16%+5.5+1.9±0.0+7.4±3.4
FH slice through the middle14%−4.2+2.7−0.3−1.8±1.8
FH slice down the line5%−4.3+3.1−0.7−1.9±2.5

Lean FH down the line: +7.8±2.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (5314 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DanielValue
BH crosscourt27%+8.8+4.6+1.0+14.4±2.3
BH through the middle25%+6.4+2.2+1.5+10.1±1.6
BH slice through the middle25%−4.2+2.7+0.1−1.5±1.8
BH slice crosscourt15%+0.5+2.4−2.1+0.8±2.4
BH slice down the line4%−8.4+0.9−0.9−8.3±3.1

Lean BH crosscourt: +8.2±1.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (4642 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DanielValue
FH through the middle43%−3.5+1.6−0.2−2.1±2.1
FH down the line28%−1.8+2.5+0.4+1.1±3.9
FH crosscourt23%−0.2+1.9+2.1+3.8±3.8
BH through the middle3%+0.1−1.3+0.5−0.6±1.9
BH inside-in1%+2.5+2.7+1.0+6.2±3.1

Lean BH inside-in: +5.9±3.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (1297 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DanielValue
BH crosscourt57%+1.0+1.7+1.0+3.8±2.1
BH through the middle29%−2.9+0.1+0.5−2.2±1.6
BH down the line7%−0.2+2.4+5.3+7.5±4.6
BH slice crosscourt3%−4.0−1.9−0.4−6.2±2.4
BH slice through the middle2%−11.3−1.4−0.1−12.8±2.3

Lean BH down the line: +6.0±4.4 per 100 returns v the current mix (2339 returns charted)

Daniel Evans returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndyValue
FH through the middle41%+4.3+1.7+1.2+7.1±1.9
FH down the line24%+1.7+1.8+0.2+3.7±3.2
FH slice through the middle14%−4.2+0.2+1.4−2.6±1.9
FH crosscourt13%+5.5−1.0+1.3+5.8±3.4
FH slice down the line6%−4.3+1.8+1.1−1.4±3.0

Lean FH through the middle: +3.1±1.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (455 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndyValue
BH slice through the middle43%−4.2+0.5−0.4−4.1±1.5
BH slice crosscourt27%+0.5+1.6+0.5+2.7±2.2
BH through the middle12%+6.4+0.9−0.1+7.2±2.1
BH slice down the line7%−8.4+0.3−3.5−11.5±3.1
BH crosscourt6%+8.8−0.6+0.9+9.1±2.8

Lean BH crosscourt: +9.5±2.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (580 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndyValue
FH through the middle51%−3.5−0.4+0.7−3.1±2.2
FH down the line32%−1.8+0.9+2.6+1.7±3.7
FH crosscourt17%−0.2+3.4+1.5+4.7±3.1

Lean FH crosscourt: +5.0±3.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (103 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndyValue
BH slice crosscourt35%−4.0−2.1+1.2−4.9±2.1
BH slice through the middle25%−11.3−1.2+1.7−10.7±2.0
BH through the middle10%−2.9+0.5+1.1−1.2±1.9
FH through the middle9%−2.9−0.5+0.7−2.7±1.8
FH inside-out8%+1.0+1.1+2.6+4.6±2.9

Lean FH inside-out: +9.0±2.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (442 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.

Andy Murray

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · return+8.9±3.3+3.5+5.4
FH to their backhand · return+8.0±2.6+4.1+3.9
BH to their backhand · return+3.5±1.7+1.9+1.6
FH slice to the middle · return+3.4±1.9+3.5−0.1
FH to their forehand · return+3.1±3.1+2.0+1.1
BH slice to the middle · return+3.1±1.8+2.9+0.2

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · serve +1−3.8±2.3−1.1−2.6
BH volley to their forehand · rally−2.6±5.1+1.5−4.1
BH volley to their backhand · rally−2.4±5.0+0.8−3.2
FH to their forehand · rally−2.0±1.5+0.2−2.2
BH slice to their forehand · rally−1.9±2.6−0.3−1.6

Daniel Evans

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · return+4.7±3.3+3.5+1.2
FH to their forehand · return +1+3.6±2.9+2.5+1.0
BH slice to the middle · serve +1+3.5±2.2+3.5±0.0
FH to the middle · return +1+3.5±2.0+2.4+1.1
BH slice to their backhand · return +1+3.4±1.7+2.6+0.9
BH slice to their backhand · serve +1+2.9±2.1+2.0+0.9

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · return +1−3.0±3.8−0.6−2.4
BH volley to their forehand · rally−2.9±4.7−2.5−0.5
BH slice to the middle · return−1.7±1.3−1.6−0.1
BH slice to their backhand · return−1.1±1.7−1.9+0.7
BH slice to their forehand · return−1.1±3.0+1.8−2.9

Against Daniel Evans-like opponents

Andy Murray vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–63.7%38.1%
Players most similar to Daniel Evans7 62.0%37.9%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Lorenzo Musetti, Grigor Dimitrov, Christopher Oconnell, Corentin Moutet, Steve Johnson, Nicolas Mahut, Guillermo Garcia Lopez, Mikhail Youzhny, Tommy Haas, Fernando Gonzalez. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.