RallyIQ

Game plan

Andy Murray v Lorenzo Sonego

Every number combines what Andy Murray does well with what Lorenzo Sonego 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 82%90%: 73%–89% · best of 5: 87%
Serve points won 68.4% / 61.0% Andy / Lorenzo · tour 63.8%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 85%serve 67.6% / 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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Lorenzo Sonego's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: +2.7 on serve, −5.9 on return vs expectation (1365 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

CareerAndyLorenzo
Direction choice+0.14 ±0.03
better than 87%
−0.13 ±0.09
better than 22%
Shot selection−0.45 ±0.05
better than 13%
+0.12 ±0.22
better than 67%
Execution+0.94 ±0.16
better than 95%
−0.79 ±0.46
better than 33%
Points left on the table2.23 ±0.05
lower than 90%
2.89 ±0.14
lower than 25%

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 +0.90, Lorenzo Sonego ±0.00. 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 LorenzoMatchupOptimal
Wide47%71%74%72.1%±3.441% ▼
Body8%67%69%72.4%±6.30% ▼
T46%80%77%81.4%±2.759% ▲

Optimal v Lorenzo Sonego: +0.5±0.5 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +5.0 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowAndy winsv LorenzoMatchupOptimal
Wide47%77%75%78.6%±3.042% ▼
Body8%61%70%68.3%±6.90% ▼
T45%70%78%76.4%±3.658% ▲

Optimal v Lorenzo Sonego: +0.6±0.5 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving wide every time would read +1.8 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Lorenzo Sonego serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowLorenzo winsv AndyMatchupOptimal
Wide56%67%70%63.4%±3.255%
Body12%63%59%59.1%±6.40% ▼
T32%75%76%75.6%±3.645% ▲

Optimal v Andy Murray: +1.0±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +8.8 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowLorenzo winsv AndyMatchupOptimal
Wide46%75%71%72.7%±3.559% ▲
Body15%67%57%61.6%±6.22% ▼
T39%73%68%69.6%±3.839%

Optimal v Andy Murray: +0.9±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving wide every time would read +2.8 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 LorenzoValue
FH through the middle42%+4.3+1.4±0.0+5.6±1.4
FH down the line17%+1.7+6.2+0.4+8.3±2.8
FH crosscourt16%+5.5+1.9+3.6+11.0±3.0
FH slice through the middle14%−4.2+2.7−1.5−3.0±1.7
FH slice down the line5%−4.3+3.1+1.2−0.1±2.8

Lean FH crosscourt: +5.9±2.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (5314 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv LorenzoValue
BH crosscourt27%+8.8+4.6+0.2+13.5±2.2
BH through the middle25%+6.4+2.2+0.7+9.3±1.6
BH slice through the middle25%−4.2+2.7+0.1−1.5±1.7
BH slice crosscourt15%+0.5+2.4−2.3+0.6±2.4
BH slice down the line4%−8.4+0.9−2.4−9.8±3.1

Lean BH crosscourt: +7.9±1.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (4642 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv LorenzoValue
FH through the middle43%−3.5+1.6−0.1−1.9±1.9
FH down the line28%−1.8+2.5−1.5−0.8±3.7
FH crosscourt23%−0.2+1.9−0.3+1.4±3.7
BH through the middle3%+0.1−1.3+0.8−0.4±1.8
BH inside-in1%+2.5+2.7+0.2+5.4±3.0

Lean BH inside-in: +6.1±3.4 per 100 returns v the current mix (1297 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv LorenzoValue
BH crosscourt57%+1.0+1.7+0.2+2.9±2.0
BH through the middle29%−2.9+0.1+0.8−2.0±1.5
BH down the line7%−0.2+2.4+0.6+2.8±4.5
BH slice crosscourt3%−4.0−1.9−2.2−8.0±2.4
BH slice through the middle2%−11.3−1.4−0.2−12.8±2.3

Lean BH crosscourt: +2.2±1.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (2339 returns charted)

Lorenzo Sonego returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndyValue
FH through the middle33%+4.3+1.6+1.2+7.0±1.8
FH slice through the middle23%−4.2+0.7+1.4−2.1±1.7
FH down the line19%+1.7+1.7+0.2+3.7±3.1
FH crosscourt12%+5.5±0.0+1.3+6.8±3.3
FH slice down the line9%−4.3−1.4+1.1−4.6±3.0

Lean FH through the middle: +4.3±1.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (725 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndyValue
BH through the middle41%+6.4+0.2−0.1+6.5±1.5
BH crosscourt23%+8.8±0.0+0.9+9.7±2.4
BH slice through the middle15%−4.2−0.4−0.4−5.0±1.8
BH down the line10%+4.2−4.5+0.1−0.2±3.7
BH slice down the line5%−8.4−1.1−3.5−12.9±3.1

Lean BH crosscourt: +6.3±2.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (873 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndyValue
FH through the middle48%−3.5−1.2+0.7−4.0±2.2
FH down the line24%−1.8+2.8+2.6+3.5±3.7
FH crosscourt20%−0.2−0.2+1.5+1.1±3.3
FH slice through the middle4%−12.7+0.5−0.4−12.6±2.0
FH slice down the line4%−9.4−0.2−1.4−11.1±1.9

Lean FH down the line: +5.3±3.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (139 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndyValue
BH through the middle43%−2.9−1.1+1.1−2.8±1.4
BH crosscourt34%+1.0−1.2+1.8+1.6±1.9
BH down the line9%−0.2−0.5+1.3+0.6±3.9
FH through the middle7%−2.9+1.0+0.7−1.2±1.9
FH inside-out3%+1.0−0.7+2.6+2.8±2.8

Lean FH inside-out: +3.4±2.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (708 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 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.

Andy Murray

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · return+7.0±4.2+3.8+3.2
FH to their backhand · return+4.8±2.9+4.4+0.3
FH to their forehand · return+4.7±3.6+1.4+3.3
BH to their backhand · return+3.2±2.1+1.9+1.3
BH to their backhand · serve +1+2.3±2.4+1.8+0.5
BH slice to their forehand · rally+2.3±3.6+0.2+2.1

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · return +1−5.3±4.8−1.4−3.9
FH volley to their backhand · rally−5.0±7.1−1.1−3.9
FH volley to their forehand · rally−4.8±6.4+4.3−9.0
BH volley to their backhand · rally−3.0±6.9+1.0−4.0
BH to their forehand · serve +1−1.6±4.4−1.3−0.3

Lorenzo Sonego

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH drop shot to their backhand · serve +1+13.3±7.4+2.7+10.6
FH drop shot to their backhand · rally+8.4±6.7−0.2+8.6
FH to the middle · return +1+3.6±2.7+1.7+1.9
FH slice to the middle · return+3.1±2.1+1.3+1.8
FH to their backhand · return+3.0±3.2+2.1+0.9
BH volley to their backhand · rally+2.8±6.8+4.0−1.3

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · return +1−9.4±5.4−6.9−2.5
BH volley to their forehand · rally−6.7±6.8−6.3−0.4
BH to their forehand · serve +1−6.4±5.4−5.7−0.8
BH to their forehand · rally−5.5±3.4−5.0−0.5
BH slice to their backhand · return−3.3±3.3−3.4+0.1

Against Lorenzo Sonego-like opponents

Andy Murray vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–63.7%38.1%
Players most similar to Lorenzo Sonego6 67.5%30.4%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Arthur Fils, Ben Shelton, Carlos Alcaraz, Tallon Griekspoor, Alejandro Tabilo, Felix Auger Aliassime, Zizou Bergs, Holger Rune. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.