RallyIQ

Game plan

Botic Van De Zandschulp v Taylor Fritz

Every number combines what Botic Van De Zandschulp does well with what Taylor Fritz allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Botic Van De Zandschulp wins, best of 3 21%90%: 7%–44% · best of 5: 16%
Serve points won 63.0% / 69.5% Botic / Taylor · tour 63.5%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 25%serve 63.7% / 69.3%

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. Both were charted enough in the last three seasons, so those carry the most weight. The result is then nudged by Botic Van De Zandschulp's record against Taylor Fritz's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: −3.1 on serve, −1.5 on return vs expectation (1122 points); head-to-head: +2.2 on serve, +4.3 on return vs expectation (146 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

CareerBoticTaylor
Direction choice−0.09 ±0.03
better than 32%
+0.03 ±0.04
better than 64%
Shot selection+0.08 ±0.08
better than 62%
−0.11 ±0.06
better than 38%
Execution−1.07 ±0.25
better than 23%
+0.66 ±0.27
better than 88%
Points left on the table2.53 ±0.06
lower than 58%
2.35 ±0.06
lower than 78%

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: Botic Van De Zandschulp −0.35, Taylor Fritz −0.60. 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.

Botic Van De Zandschulp serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowBotic winsv TaylorMatchupOptimal
Wide41%72%74%73.3%±2.654% ▲
Body12%63%63%63.6%±5.70% ▼
T47%77%77%79.2%±2.446% ▼

Optimal v Taylor Fritz: +0.9±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +4.2 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowBotic winsv TaylorMatchupOptimal
Wide37%72%76%76.1%±2.950% ▲
Body15%58%63%57.6%±6.02% ▼
T47%70%74%71.8%±2.748%

Optimal v Taylor Fritz: +1.3±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving wide every time would read +4.9 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Taylor Fritz serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowTaylor winsv BoticMatchupOptimal
Wide48%76%72%75.4%±2.561% ▲
Body3%66%63%65.6%±7.50% ▼
T49%82%70%78.5%±2.539% ▼

Optimal v Botic Van De Zandschulp: +0.3±0.4 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +1.9 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowTaylor winsv BoticMatchupOptimal
Wide52%80%71%78.2%±2.565% ▲
Body4%62%64%62.3%±7.60% ▼
T45%76%69%73.2%±2.835% ▼

Optimal v Botic Van De Zandschulp: +0.2±0.4 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. 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.

Botic Van De Zandschulp returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv TaylorValue
FH through the middle48%+4.3+1.5−0.6+5.1±1.4
FH crosscourt22%+5.5−3.9−0.6+1.0±2.8
FH down the line16%+1.7−1.6−0.9−0.8±3.0
FH slice through the middle9%−4.2−1.9±0.0−6.1±1.7
FH slice down the line3%−4.3−4.2+1.3−7.2±3.1

Lean FH through the middle: +3.5±1.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (2055 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv TaylorValue
BH through the middle42%+6.4−0.3+0.6+6.7±1.4
BH crosscourt28%+8.8−2.7−0.5+5.6±2.2
BH slice through the middle14%−4.2−1.4−0.3−5.9±1.7
BH down the line8%+4.2−0.9−4.5−1.1±3.8
BH slice crosscourt6%+0.5−3.3−1.8−4.6±2.6

Lean BH through the middle: +3.7±1.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (2166 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv TaylorValue
FH through the middle53%−3.5−0.4+0.4−3.5±1.8
FH crosscourt31%−0.2−1.8−1.1−3.1±3.6
FH down the line14%−1.8−5.4−1.6−8.8±4.1
FH slice through the middle2%−12.7−1.2+0.6−13.3±2.1

Lean FH crosscourt: +1.2±2.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (449 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv TaylorValue
BH through the middle48%−2.9−2.0+0.8−4.1±1.2
BH crosscourt41%+1.0−4.5−0.9−4.3±1.8
BH down the line6%−0.2+0.3−0.4−0.3±4.3
FH through the middle2%−2.9−0.4+0.4−2.9±1.8
FH inside-out1%+1.0−1.9−1.6−2.5±2.8

Lean BH down the line: +3.7±4.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (1291 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

Taylor Fritz returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv BoticValue
FH through the middle46%+4.3+1.3−0.1+5.4±1.2
FH down the line22%+1.7+0.4−2.1±0.0±2.7
FH slice through the middle12%−4.2+0.1−1.6−5.7±1.6
FH crosscourt10%+5.5+1.8−3.5+3.9±3.0
FH slice down the line7%−4.3+0.4−3.0−6.9±2.8

Lean FH through the middle: +3.8±1.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (2456 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv BoticValue
BH through the middle47%+6.4+2.1+0.6+9.2±1.3
BH crosscourt29%+8.8−1.8−2.8+4.2±1.9
BH down the line9%+4.2+1.7−5.8+0.2±3.7
BH slice through the middle9%−4.2−2.5−2.8−9.5±1.9
BH slice crosscourt3%+0.5−3.9−4.7−8.1±2.8

Lean BH through the middle: +5.2±1.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (2022 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv BoticValue
FH through the middle51%−3.5−0.7+0.7−3.5±1.6
FH down the line25%−1.8−3.4−0.4−5.6±3.5
FH crosscourt14%−0.2+1.8−2.5−0.9±3.6
FH slice through the middle4%−12.7−1.6−1.3−15.6±2.3
FH slice down the line3%−9.4+1.8+0.6−7.1±2.8

Lean FH crosscourt: +3.4±3.4 per 100 returns v the current mix (707 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv BoticValue
BH through the middle42%−2.9+0.8+0.8−1.3±1.4
BH crosscourt34%+1.0−0.8−1.6−1.4±2.1
BH down the line13%−0.2−1.3−0.1−1.5±4.2
FH through the middle6%−2.9+0.2+0.7−2.0±1.9
FH inside-in3%+0.6−0.5−2.5−2.4±3.8

Lean BH through the middle: +0.2±1.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (1417 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

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.

Botic Van De Zandschulp

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH drop shot to their backhand · serve +1+6.3±5.2+0.3+6.0
Smash to their backhand · rally+5.3±4.5+0.4+4.9
BH slice to their forehand · rally+3.3±2.5+1.1+2.2
BH slice to their backhand · return +1+2.0±1.9+0.5+1.6
BH to their forehand · serve +1+1.8±3.4+0.3+1.5
FH to the middle · return +1+1.7±1.5+2.0−0.3

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH volley to their backhand · rally−7.9±5.0−2.7−5.2
BH volley to their forehand · rally−7.2±5.2−5.3−1.9
BH to their forehand · return−5.6±2.7−2.9−2.7
BH to their backhand · return−4.6±1.4−2.9−1.7
FH to their backhand · return−4.3±2.2−2.9−1.4

Taylor Fritz

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to the middle · return+2.8±0.9+1.7+1.1
Smash to their forehand · rally+1.8±4.1+1.8±0.0
FH to the middle · return +1+1.6±1.6−0.7+2.3
BH to the middle · return +1+1.2±1.4+0.1+1.0
BH to their backhand · rally+0.9±0.8−0.1+1.0
FH to their backhand · return +1+0.9±2.3+0.9−0.1

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH volley to their forehand · rally−11.3±5.2−7.6−3.7
FH volley to their forehand · rally−11.2±4.7−2.5−8.7
BH volley to their backhand · rally−10.3±5.1−5.5−4.7
FH drop shot to their backhand · rally−9.3±4.9−4.3−5.0
BH slice to their backhand · return−8.2±2.7−3.8−4.4

Against Taylor Fritz-like opponents

Botic Van De Zandschulp vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–62.1%37.2%
Players most similar to Taylor Fritz6 58.5%35.8%
Taylor Fritz (charted head-to-head)1 65.8%37.3%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Jannik Sinner, Gael Monfils, Karen Khachanov, Marcos Giron, Alexander Shevchenko, Rinky Hijikata, Miomir Kecmanovic, Arthur Cazaux, Borna Coric, Andreas Seppi. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.

Charted head-to-head