RallyIQ

Game plan

Andy Murray v Roberto Bautista Agut

Every number combines what Andy Murray does well with what Roberto Bautista Agut 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 57%90%: 34%–78% · best of 5: 59%
Serve points won 63.3% / 61.9% Andy / Roberto · tour 63.4%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 65%serve 64.4% / 61.3%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Roberto Bautista Agut's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: −1.3 on serve, +1.8 on return vs expectation (5707 points); head-to-head: −1.3 on serve, −10.6 on return vs expectation (664 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

CareerAndyRoberto
Direction choice+0.14 ±0.03
better than 87%
+0.03 ±0.06
better than 65%
Shot selection−0.45 ±0.05
better than 13%
+0.08 ±0.08
better than 62%
Execution+0.94 ±0.16
better than 95%
+1.23 ±0.28
better than 98%
Points left on the table2.23 ±0.05
lower than 90%
2.30 ±0.09
lower than 85%

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 +2.01, Roberto Bautista Agut +1.60. 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 RobertoMatchupOptimal
Wide47%71%74%71.6%±2.758% ▲
Body8%67%60%63.9%±6.20% ▼
T46%80%76%80.4%±2.442% ▼

Optimal v Roberto Bautista Agut: +0.5±0.4 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +5.4 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowAndy winsv RobertoMatchupOptimal
Wide47%77%77%80.2%±2.360% ▲
Body8%61%53%51.6%±7.40% ▼
T45%70%72%69.9%±3.140% ▼

Optimal v Roberto Bautista Agut: +0.7±0.5 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving wide every time would read +6.9 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Roberto Bautista Agut serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowRoberto winsv AndyMatchupOptimal
Wide45%70%70%66.7%±2.840% ▼
Body9%64%59%59.5%±6.10% ▼
T47%72%76%73.0%±2.760% ▲

Optimal v Andy Murray: +0.6±0.5 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +4.0 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowRoberto winsv AndyMatchupOptimal
Wide56%70%71%67.7%±2.951% ▼
Body9%61%57%54.8%±6.50% ▼
T36%72%68%68.0%±3.349% ▲

Optimal v Andy Murray: +0.8±0.5 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +1.3 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.

Andy Murray returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv RobertoValue
FH through the middle42%+4.3+1.4+2.6+8.2±1.2
FH down the line17%+1.7+6.2+4.3+12.2±2.7
FH crosscourt16%+5.5+1.9−1.2+6.2±2.6
FH slice through the middle14%−4.2+2.7+2.1+0.5±1.6
FH slice down the line5%−4.3+3.1−0.1−1.3±2.8

Lean FH down the line: +5.5±2.4 per 100 returns v the current mix (5314 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv RobertoValue
BH crosscourt27%+8.8+4.6+2.2+15.6±1.8
BH through the middle25%+6.4+2.2+1.2+9.9±1.2
BH slice through the middle25%−4.2+2.7+3.1+1.6±1.5
BH slice crosscourt15%+0.5+2.4+1.1+4.0±2.2
BH slice down the line4%−8.4+0.9−1.3−8.7±3.1

Lean BH crosscourt: +8.0±1.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (4642 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv RobertoValue
FH through the middle43%−3.5+1.6−0.4−2.3±1.9
FH down the line28%−1.8+2.5+1.5+2.2±3.7
FH crosscourt23%−0.2+1.9−1.4+0.3±3.6
BH through the middle3%+0.1−1.3+2.3+1.1±1.7
BH inside-in1%+2.5+2.7+0.2+5.4±2.7

Lean BH inside-in: +5.6±3.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (1297 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv RobertoValue
BH crosscourt57%+1.0+1.7+0.2+2.9±1.6
BH through the middle29%−2.9+0.1+2.3−0.4±1.4
BH down the line7%−0.2+2.4+2.5+4.7±4.2
BH slice crosscourt3%−4.0−1.9−2.1−8.0±2.5
BH slice through the middle2%−11.3−1.4−1.9−14.6±2.3

Lean BH down the line: +3.5±4.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (2339 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

Roberto Bautista Agut returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndyValue
FH through the middle47%+4.3+2.4+1.2+7.9±1.3
FH down the line19%+1.7+2.4+0.2+4.3±2.8
FH crosscourt15%+5.5+1.8+1.3+8.5±2.9
FH slice through the middle13%−4.2+0.4+1.4−2.4±1.7
FH slice crosscourt3%−4.3+0.3+2.2−1.9±2.6

Lean FH crosscourt: +3.2±2.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (1224 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndyValue
BH through the middle42%+6.4+2.7−0.1+9.0±1.4
BH crosscourt20%+8.8+2.4+0.9+12.1±2.3
BH slice through the middle17%−4.2−0.1−0.4−4.7±1.6
BH down the line11%+4.2+4.9+0.1+9.3±3.5
BH slice crosscourt6%+0.5−1.2+0.5−0.1±2.5

Lean BH crosscourt: +6.2±2.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (1218 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndyValue
FH through the middle48%−3.5+0.4+0.7−2.4±2.0
FH crosscourt24%−0.2+0.7+1.5+2.0±3.4
FH down the line24%−1.8+0.9+2.6+1.7±3.7
FH slice through the middle4%−12.7±0.0−0.4−13.0±2.1

Lean FH crosscourt: +2.8±2.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (289 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndyValue
BH through the middle48%−2.9+0.6+1.1−1.1±1.2
BH crosscourt33%+1.0+1.7+1.8+4.5±1.8
BH down the line12%−0.2+0.8+1.3+1.9±3.6
FH through the middle3%−2.9−0.4+0.7−2.5±1.8
FH inside-out2%+1.0±0.0+2.6+3.5±2.7

Lean BH crosscourt: +3.4±1.4 per 100 returns v the current mix (961 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
FH to their backhand · return+8.0±2.1+4.1+3.9
BH slice to the middle · return+6.2±1.5+2.9+3.2
FH slice to the middle · return+6.1±1.6+3.5+2.6
BH drop shot to their forehand · rally+5.9±4.5+2.7+3.2
BH to their forehand · return+5.7±2.7+3.5+2.2
Smash to their forehand · rally+4.9±4.1+0.9+4.0

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH volley to their forehand · rally−2.0±4.7+1.5−3.4
FH to their forehand · serve +1−0.8±1.6−1.1+0.3
BH slice to the middle · return +1−0.6±1.7+1.7−2.3
BH to their forehand · return +1−0.6±3.2−0.7+0.1
FH slice to the middle · return +1−0.4±2.7+0.4−0.8

Roberto Bautista Agut

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH drop shot to their backhand · rally+9.4±4.8+3.0+6.4
FH slice to their forehand · rally+6.6±3.5+4.8+1.8
FH to the middle · return+3.5±1.1+2.2+1.3
FH to their forehand · return+3.4±2.5+2.2+1.2
FH to their forehand · rally+3.3±0.9+2.9+0.4
BH to their forehand · return+3.2±2.6+3.0+0.2

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
Smash to their backhand · rally−2.9±3.8−0.8−2.1
BH to their forehand · serve +1−2.9±3.6−1.4−1.5
BH volley to their forehand · rally−2.4±4.8−1.9−0.5
BH to their forehand · return +1−1.8±3.3+0.5−2.4
Smash to their forehand · rally−1.7±3.6−1.3−0.3

Against Roberto Bautista Agut-like opponents

Andy Murray vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–63.7%38.1%
Players most similar to Roberto Bautista Agut32 58.5%37.8%
Roberto Bautista Agut (charted head-to-head)3 63.1%28.1%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Casper Ruud, Brandon Nakashima, Gael Monfils, Mariano Navone, Novak Djokovic, Karen Khachanov, Pablo Carreno Busta, Francisco Cerundolo, Roberto Carballes Baena, Bernabe Zapata Miralles. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.

Charted head-to-head