RallyIQ

Game plan

Bjorn Borg v Maxime Cressy

Every number combines what Bjorn Borg does well with what Maxime Cressy allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Bjorn Borg wins, best of 3 69%90%: 45%–87% · best of 5: 74%
Serve points won 67.9% / 63.8% Bjorn / Maxime · tour 63.4%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 77%serve 68.6% / 62.6%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Bjorn Borg's record against Maxime Cressy's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: −2.0 on serve, −3.9 on return vs expectation (1366 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

CareerBjornMaxime
Direction choice−0.13 ±0.11
better than 23%
+0.07 ±0.13
better than 77%
Shot selection−0.06 ±0.27
better than 45%
+1.15 ±0.15
better than 99%
Execution+1.07 ±0.51
better than 96%
−1.85 ±0.64
better than 5%
Points left on the table3.05 ±0.34
lower than 18%
3.70 ±0.25
lower than 6%

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.

Bjorn Borg serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowBjorn winsv MaximeMatchupOptimal
Wide59%72%80%79.4%±4.372% ▲
Body8%65%67%67.9%±10.20% ▼
T33%73%77%74.3%±6.128% ▼

Optimal v Maxime Cressy: +0.7±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving wide every time would read +2.6 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowBjorn winsv MaximeMatchupOptimal
Wide38%70%80%77.4%±5.752% ▲
Body9%58%68%62.5%±10.80% ▼
T53%67%78%74.0%±5.448% ▼

Optimal v Maxime Cressy: +0.8±0.7 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving wide every time would read +3.1 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Maxime Cressy serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowMaxime winsv BjornMatchupOptimal
Wide54%81%66%75.7%±5.367% ▲
Body5%68%62%67.1%±10.76%
T40%81%60%68.9%±6.027% ▼

Optimal v Bjorn Borg: +0.6±0.7 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +3.2 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowMaxime winsv BjornMatchupOptimal
Wide64%78%63%69.2%±5.060% ▼
Body5%61%55%52.4%±13.20% ▼
T30%78%67%73.3%±6.840% ▲

Optimal v Bjorn Borg: +0.1±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +3.8 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.

Bjorn Borg returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MaximeValue
FH through the middle59%+4.3+1.1−1.2+4.1±2.4
FH crosscourt21%+5.5+2.2−2.7+5.0±4.4
FH down the line17%+1.7+0.4−2.0+0.1±4.4
BH through the middle2%+6.6+1.1−1.4+6.2±1.9

Lean FH crosscourt: +1.4±3.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (321 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MaximeValue
BH through the middle41%+6.4−0.3−1.4+4.7±2.0
BH crosscourt30%+8.8+2.9+1.1+12.8±3.1
BH down the line14%+4.2+3.7+1.7+9.6±4.5
BH slice through the middle7%−4.2+0.7−4.6−8.1±2.4
BH slice crosscourt3%+0.5+1.2+0.5+2.2±2.9

Lean BH crosscourt: +6.1±2.4 per 100 returns v the current mix (687 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MaximeValue
FH through the middle51%−3.5+1.9−1.7−3.3±2.8
FH crosscourt31%−0.2+2.2+0.4+2.3±4.4
FH down the line19%−1.8+3.0−0.1+1.1±4.5

Lean FH crosscourt: +3.1±3.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (108 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MaximeValue
BH crosscourt31%+1.0+2.2−3.4−0.2±3.1
BH through the middle27%−2.9−1.3−3.8−8.0±2.3
FH through the middle17%−2.9+2.0−1.7−2.6±2.3
FH inside-out11%+1.0+1.1−0.1+2.0±3.7
BH down the line8%−0.2+2.6−3.8−1.5±4.9
FH inside-in6%+0.6+3.0+0.4+3.9±4.3

Lean FH inside-in: +6.2±4.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (372 returns charted)

Maxime Cressy returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv BjornValue
FH through the middle45%+4.3±0.0+2.0+6.3±2.3
FH crosscourt34%+5.5−1.7−1.0+2.8±4.0
FH down the line12%+1.7−1.3+4.3+4.7±4.3
FH slice through the middle6%−4.2−1.0+2.7−2.4±2.3
FH slice crosscourt2%−4.3+0.1+0.4−3.8±2.0

Lean FH through the middle: +2.2±1.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (584 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv BjornValue
BH through the middle49%+6.4+0.5−1.2+5.7±2.4
BH crosscourt28%+8.8−1.8+0.8+7.9±3.4
BH down the line11%+4.2+2.9−0.4+6.8±4.5
BH slice through the middle7%−4.2−1.7+1.7−4.2±2.3
BH slice crosscourt3%+0.5−2.6+0.2−1.9±2.8

Lean BH crosscourt: +2.5±2.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (471 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv BjornValue
FH crosscourt37%−0.2−5.7+2.3−3.7±4.3
FH through the middle29%−3.5+1.6+0.9−0.9±2.7
FH slice through the middle19%−12.7+0.3+3.8−8.5±2.3
FH slice down the line9%−9.4−0.8+3.3−6.9±2.5
FH down the line7%−1.8+0.5−0.1−1.4±4.1

Lean FH through the middle: +3.0±2.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (129 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv BjornValue
BH through the middle46%−2.9−8.6+0.8−10.6±2.3
BH crosscourt32%+1.0−1.0+0.8+0.8±3.2
BH down the line15%−0.2−3.8−1.0−5.0±4.9
BH slice through the middle5%−11.3−0.4+2.5−9.2±2.2
BH slice crosscourt3%−4.0+0.4+0.3−3.3±2.2

Lean BH crosscourt: +6.7±2.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (278 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.

Bjorn Borg

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · return +1+13.0±3.7+3.1+9.9
BH to their forehand · rally+6.3±3.5+3.3+3.1
BH to their forehand · return+5.2±3.9+6.0−0.8
BH to their forehand · serve +1+5.0±4.5+2.2+2.9
BH to their backhand · return +1+4.5±3.1+2.7+1.7
FH to their forehand · serve +1+2.9±3.1−0.3+3.1

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to the middle · return−0.6±1.7+1.1−1.8
FH to their forehand · return−0.4±4.1+1.2−1.6
FH to the middle · return−0.3±1.9+1.2−1.6
FH to the middle · serve +1−0.3±2.2+0.9−1.2
BH to the middle · serve +1±0.0±2.4+0.8−0.8

Maxime Cressy

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH slice to the middle · rally+5.0±1.8+1.4+3.6
BH volley to the middle · serve +1+5.0±4.1+2.1+2.9
BH volley to their backhand · rally+4.3±5.7+3.1+1.1
FH to the middle · rally+3.6±2.0+1.1+2.5
BH slice to their backhand · return +1+3.5±2.5+0.5+2.9
BH slice to the middle · return +1+3.4±2.3+1.8+1.6

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their backhand · return +1−6.9±3.3−3.2−3.8
BH to the middle · return +1−4.8±2.5−3.7−1.1
BH to their backhand · rally−4.7±2.5−5.6+0.9
BH to their forehand · rally−4.0±4.0−3.3−0.7
BH to their forehand · return−4.0±4.1−1.9−2.1

Against Maxime Cressy-like opponents

Bjorn Borg vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–64.1%43.9%
Players most similar to Maxime Cressy5 62.2%36.1%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Pierre Hugues Herbert, Sergiy Stakhovsky, Mischa Zverev, Max Mirnyi, Patrick Rafter, Goran Ivanisevic, Todd Martin, David Wheaton, John Mcenroe, Pat Cash. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.