RallyIQ

Game plan

Andy Murray v Nishesh Basavareddy

Every number combines what Andy Murray does well with what Nishesh Basavareddy 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 56%90%: 28%–81% · best of 5: 57%
Serve points won 60.2% / 59.1% Andy / Nishesh · tour 61.3%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 58%serve 61.4% / 59.8%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Nishesh Basavareddy's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: −1.7 on serve, +1.1 on return vs expectation (6949 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

CareerAndyNishesh
Direction choice+0.14 ±0.03
better than 87%
+0.26 ±0.08
better than 97%
Shot selection−0.45 ±0.05
better than 13%
+0.26 ±0.11
better than 77%
Execution+0.94 ±0.16
better than 95%
+0.46 ±0.64
better than 83%
Points left on the table2.23 ±0.05
lower than 90%
2.06 ±0.10
lower than 98%

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 +1.40, Nishesh Basavareddy +1.59. 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 NisheshMatchupOptimal
Wide47%71%72%69.9%±5.360% ▲
Body8%67%61%64.6%±8.00% ▼
T46%80%69%74.3%±5.240% ▼

Optimal v Nishesh Basavareddy: +0.4±0.6 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 serveNowAndy winsv NisheshMatchupOptimal
Wide47%77%74%77.8%±4.660% ▲
Body8%61%61%59.5%±9.10% ▼
T45%70%72%69.5%±5.840% ▼

Optimal v Nishesh Basavareddy: +0.4±0.6 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.

Nishesh Basavareddy serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowNishesh winsv AndyMatchupOptimal
Wide53%76%70%72.6%±4.966% ▲
Body10%69%59%65.1%±9.20% ▼
T37%78%76%78.3%±5.434% ▼

Optimal v Andy Murray: +0.6±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +4.4 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowNishesh winsv AndyMatchupOptimal
Wide50%76%71%74.0%±5.463% ▲
Body8%60%57%54.1%±10.80% ▼
T42%72%68%68.5%±5.937% ▼

Optimal v Andy Murray: +0.8±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving wide every time would read +3.9 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.

Andy Murray returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv NisheshValue
FH through the middle42%+4.3+1.4−0.9+4.7±1.9
FH down the line17%+1.7+6.2−2.5+5.3±3.5
FH crosscourt16%+5.5+1.9+2.8+10.2±3.4
FH slice through the middle14%−4.2+2.7+0.4−1.1±1.8
FH slice down the line5%−4.3+3.1+0.2−1.0±2.5

Lean FH crosscourt: +5.8±3.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (5314 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv NisheshValue
BH crosscourt27%+8.8+4.6+1.4+14.8±2.7
BH through the middle25%+6.4+2.2+1.1+9.7±2.0
BH slice through the middle25%−4.2+2.7+1.5±0.0±1.9
BH slice crosscourt15%+0.5+2.4−2.0+0.9±2.2
BH slice down the line4%−8.4+0.9−2.9−10.3±2.8

Lean BH crosscourt: +8.5±2.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (4642 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv NisheshValue
FH through the middle43%−3.5+1.6+1.0−0.9±2.3
FH down the line28%−1.8+2.5−3.2−2.5±4.0
FH crosscourt23%−0.2+1.9+2.2+3.9±3.7
BH through the middle3%+0.1−1.3−0.2−1.4±2.0
BH inside-in1%+2.5+2.7−0.5+4.7±3.4

Lean BH inside-in: +4.9±3.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (1297 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv NisheshValue
BH crosscourt57%+1.0+1.7−0.5+2.2±2.5
BH through the middle29%−2.9+0.1−0.2−3.0±1.8
BH down the line7%−0.2+2.4−3.2−1.0±4.6
BH slice crosscourt3%−4.0−1.9−1.5−7.4±2.1
BH slice through the middle2%−11.3−1.4±0.0−12.7±1.7

Lean BH crosscourt: +2.4±1.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (2339 returns charted)

Nishesh Basavareddy returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndyValue
FH through the middle44%+4.3−0.9+1.2+4.5±2.1
FH crosscourt31%+5.5+1.5+1.3+8.2±3.3
FH down the line10%+1.7−3.5+0.2−1.6±3.3
FH slice through the middle6%−4.2+0.4+1.4−2.5±1.7
FH slice crosscourt5%−4.3−2.9+2.2−5.0±2.4

Lean FH crosscourt: +4.5±2.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (262 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndyValue
BH crosscourt31%+8.8−0.7+0.9+9.0±2.8
BH through the middle27%+6.4+2.0−0.1+8.3±2.1
BH slice through the middle18%−4.2+1.6−0.4−3.0±1.9
BH slice crosscourt12%+0.5−2.5+0.5−1.4±2.4
BH slice down the line8%−8.4−0.4−3.5−12.3±2.9

Lean BH crosscourt: +5.6±2.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (253 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndyValue
FH crosscourt52%−0.2+1.1+1.5+2.4±3.5
FH through the middle35%−3.5+0.5+0.7−2.2±2.1
FH down the line7%−1.8+0.8+2.6+1.6±2.6
FH slice through the middle6%−12.7−0.3−0.4−13.3±2.0

Lean FH crosscourt: +2.6±1.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (86 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndyValue
BH crosscourt58%+1.0+2.9+1.8+5.7±2.5
BH through the middle35%−2.9−1.0+1.1−2.7±1.9
BH down the line7%−0.2−3.2+1.3−2.1±3.0

Lean BH crosscourt: +3.5±1.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (113 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 clay. Each player's clay record is shrunk toward their all-surface one, so a thin sample on it moves the numbers only a little.

Andy Murray

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · return+7.4±4.2+3.8+3.6
FH to their backhand · rally+2.9±2.1+1.3+1.6
BH to their backhand · rally+2.9±1.7+1.8+1.1
BH to their backhand · return+2.9±2.5+2.3+0.6
BH to their backhand · return +1+2.7±2.8+2.9−0.2
FH to the middle · rally+2.3±1.8+1.3+1.0

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · serve +1−3.0±4.7−1.3−1.8
BH to their forehand · return +1−2.9±4.9−0.7−2.2
FH to their forehand · serve +1−1.8±3.3−1.5−0.3
FH to the middle · serve +1−1.0±2.5−2.5+1.5
BH to their forehand · return−0.6±4.3+2.8−3.5

Nishesh Basavareddy

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their backhand · return +1+5.0±2.7+2.3+2.7
BH to their forehand · rally+4.9±3.1+3.1+1.8
FH to their backhand · return +1+4.0±3.6+2.5+1.5
BH to their backhand · rally+3.9±1.5+2.5+1.4
FH to their forehand · rally+3.5±2.0+1.9+1.7
BH to their backhand · serve +1+3.5±2.4+3.4+0.1

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · serve +1−1.8±3.0−2.3+0.5
BH slice to their backhand · rally−1.7±2.3−1.5−0.2
BH to the middle · return−1.4±2.0+0.6−2.0
FH to the middle · serve +1−1.4±2.5+0.8−2.2
BH to their forehand · return−0.8±4.3−0.5−0.2

Against Nishesh Basavareddy-like opponents

Andy Murray vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–63.7%38.1%
Players most similar to Nishesh Basavareddy40 58.9%37.7%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Daniil Medvedev, Frances Tiafoe, Novak Djokovic, Luca Nardi, Richard Gasquet, Karue Sell, Gregoire Barrere, David Nalbandian, Andre Agassi. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.