RallyIQ

Game plan

Brandon Nakashima v Maxime Cressy

Every number combines what Brandon Nakashima 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

Brandon Nakashima wins, best of 3 48%90%: 26%–70% · best of 5: 47%
Serve points won 68.0% / 68.4% Brandon / Maxime · tour 63.4%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 48%serve 68.0% / 68.4%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Brandon Nakashima's record against Maxime Cressy's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads. 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

CareerBrandonMaxime
Direction choice−0.01 ±0.07
better than 54%
+0.07 ±0.13
better than 77%
Shot selection−0.11 ±0.14
better than 38%
+1.15 ±0.15
better than 99%
Execution+0.79 ±0.43
better than 91%
−1.85 ±0.64
better than 5%
Points left on the table2.50 ±0.10
lower than 60%
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.

Structural compatibility

Expected edge per 100 rally shots from style alone: Brandon Nakashima +0.75, Maxime Cressy −0.63. 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.

Brandon Nakashima serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowBrandon winsv MaximeMatchupOptimal
Wide52%73%80%80.2%±3.765% ▲
Body5%64%67%67.1%±9.50% ▼
T43%78%77%79.2%±4.235% ▼

Optimal v Maxime Cressy: +0.6±0.5 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving wide every time would read +1.1 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowBrandon winsv MaximeMatchupOptimal
Wide54%72%80%79.3%±4.350% ▼
Body9%69%68%73.6%±8.10% ▼
T37%72%78%78.3%±4.550% ▲

Optimal v Maxime Cressy: +0.5±0.7 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +0.9 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Maxime Cressy serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowMaxime winsv BrandonMatchupOptimal
Wide54%81%74%82.3%±3.567% ▲
Body5%68%66%70.9%±10.20% ▼
T40%81%79%84.2%±3.733% ▼

Optimal v Brandon Nakashima: +0.7±0.5 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +1.8 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowMaxime winsv BrandonMatchupOptimal
Wide64%78%75%79.9%±3.957% ▼
Body5%61%67%65.0%±10.70% ▼
T30%78%74%79.8%±4.743% ▲

Optimal v Brandon Nakashima: +0.4±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +0.8 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.

Brandon Nakashima returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MaximeValue
FH through the middle48%+4.3−1.1−1.2+1.9±2.2
FH down the line19%+1.7−1.5−2.0−1.8±4.1
FH slice through the middle14%−4.2+1.0−1.7−4.8±2.3
FH crosscourt11%+5.5+0.6−2.7+3.4±4.3
FH slice down the line4%−4.3+0.9+0.3−3.1±2.7

Lean FH crosscourt: +3.5±4.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (771 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MaximeValue
BH through the middle38%+6.4+0.2−1.4+5.2±2.1
BH crosscourt29%+8.8+1.2+1.1+11.1±3.2
BH slice through the middle12%−4.2+0.1−4.6−8.7±2.4
BH down the line10%+4.2−1.3+1.7+4.6±4.6
BH slice crosscourt8%+0.5−3.1+0.5−2.1±3.0

Lean BH crosscourt: +7.0±2.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (648 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MaximeValue
FH through the middle62%−3.5−1.0−1.7−6.2±2.6
FH crosscourt21%−0.2+3.2+0.4+3.4±4.4
FH down the line17%−1.8−0.7−0.1−2.6±4.7

Lean FH crosscourt: +7.0±4.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (228 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MaximeValue
BH through the middle50%−2.9−0.6−3.8−7.3±2.1
BH crosscourt34%+1.0+1.9−3.4−0.5±3.1
BH down the line11%−0.2+0.7−3.8−3.3±5.0
BH slice through the middle4%−11.3−1.2−4.8−17.4±2.2
BH slice crosscourt2%−4.0−0.1−4.1−8.2±2.0

Lean BH crosscourt: +4.5±2.4 per 100 returns v the current mix (387 returns charted)

Maxime Cressy returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv BrandonValue
FH through the middle45%+4.3±0.0+1.7+5.9±2.1
FH crosscourt34%+5.5−1.7+3.4+7.2±3.6
FH down the line12%+1.7−1.3−1.2−0.8±4.2
FH slice through the middle6%−4.2−1.0−0.4−5.6±2.3
FH slice crosscourt2%−4.3+0.1+0.7−3.5±2.3

Lean FH crosscourt: +2.7±2.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (584 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv BrandonValue
BH through the middle49%+6.4+0.5−0.3+6.7±2.1
BH crosscourt28%+8.8−1.8+0.4+7.4±3.0
BH down the line11%+4.2+2.9−0.3+6.8±4.4
BH slice through the middle7%−4.2−1.7+0.4−5.5±2.4
BH slice crosscourt3%+0.5−2.6+2.1+0.1±2.8

Lean BH crosscourt: +1.9±2.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (471 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv BrandonValue
FH crosscourt37%−0.2−5.7+1.5−4.5±4.3
FH through the middle29%−3.5+1.6−1.0−2.8±2.6
FH slice through the middle19%−12.7+0.3+0.2−12.1±2.0
FH slice down the line9%−9.4−0.8−0.3−10.6±2.2
FH down the line7%−1.8+0.5+1.7+0.5±4.1

Lean FH through the middle: +2.8±2.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (129 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv BrandonValue
BH through the middle46%−2.9−8.6+2.3−9.1±2.1
BH crosscourt32%+1.0−1.0−0.2−0.2±2.9
BH down the line15%−0.2−3.8+1.4−2.5±4.7
BH slice through the middle5%−11.3−0.4−0.3−12.0±1.8
BH slice crosscourt3%−4.0+0.4−0.4−4.0±1.8

Lean BH crosscourt: +5.1±2.3 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.

Brandon Nakashima

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · return +1+10.9±3.6+1.0+9.9
FH to their forehand · serve +1+7.1±2.8+4.0+3.1
FH to their backhand · serve +1+5.0±2.5+3.2+1.8
FH to their forehand · return +1+4.0±3.9+0.7+3.3
BH to their forehand · serve +1+3.5±4.7+0.7+2.9
BH to their backhand · return +1+3.2±3.0+1.5+1.7

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH slice to the middle · return−6.8±2.3−0.6−6.2
FH to their backhand · return−3.9±3.4−2.5−1.4
FH to the middle · return−2.4±1.8−0.9−1.6
BH slice to the middle · rally−2.1±2.2−0.7−1.5
BH to the middle · return−1.8±1.6±0.0−1.8

Maxime Cressy

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to the middle · rally+2.7±1.9+1.1+1.5
FH to the middle · return+1.7±1.8+0.7+0.9
BH slice to the middle · rally+1.1±2.1+1.4−0.4
FH to their backhand · return +1+1.0±3.7−1.4+2.4
BH slice to the middle · return +1+1.0±2.3+1.8−0.8
FH to their forehand · return+1.0±3.3−2.1+3.1

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their backhand · rally−4.4±2.4−5.6+1.2
FH to their forehand · return +1−4.4±3.4−5.6+1.2
BH to their forehand · rally−4.3±3.8−3.3−0.9
BH to their forehand · return +1−4.2±4.7−2.1−2.1
FH volley to their backhand · rally−2.7±5.9+0.2−2.9

Against Maxime Cressy-like opponents

Brandon Nakashima vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–65.5%32.8%

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.