RallyIQ

Game plan

Dominic Thiem v Lorenzo Musetti

Every number combines what Dominic Thiem does well with what Lorenzo Musetti allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Dominic Thiem wins, best of 3 58%90%: 35%–78% · best of 5: 60%
Serve points won 63.8% / 62.2% Dominic / Lorenzo · tour 63.4%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 52%serve 63.6% / 63.2%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Dominic Thiem's record against Lorenzo Musetti's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: +0.4 on serve, +1.9 on return vs expectation (3408 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

CareerDominicLorenzo
Direction choice+0.12 ±0.03
better than 83%
−0.02 ±0.04
better than 50%
Shot selection−0.28 ±0.08
better than 25%
−0.57 ±0.10
better than 9%
Execution+0.04 ±0.20
better than 71%
+0.48 ±0.22
better than 83%
Points left on the table2.48 ±0.05
lower than 63%
2.74 ±0.06
lower than 35%

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: Dominic Thiem −0.82, Lorenzo Musetti −0.25. 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.

Dominic Thiem serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowDominic winsv LorenzoMatchupOptimal
Wide47%73%72%72.5%±2.440% ▼
Body5%61%61%59.0%±6.10% ▼
T48%74%71%70.7%±2.660% ▲

Optimal v Lorenzo Musetti: +0.3±0.4 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +1.6 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowDominic winsv LorenzoMatchupOptimal
Wide52%71%68%65.8%±2.547% ▼
Body7%64%63%63.5%±6.20% ▼
T40%71%71%70.8%±2.853% ▲

Optimal v Lorenzo Musetti: +0.4±0.4 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +3.1 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Lorenzo Musetti serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowLorenzo winsv DominicMatchupOptimal
Wide41%70%73%69.6%±2.638% ▼
Body9%64%63%63.5%±5.10% ▼
T49%72%73%70.1%±2.562% ▲

Optimal v Dominic Thiem: +0.5±0.4 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +0.8 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowLorenzo winsv DominicMatchupOptimal
Wide55%69%72%67.9%±2.450% ▼
Body8%61%65%63.4%±5.70% ▼
T37%69%72%68.9%±3.050% ▲

Optimal v Dominic Thiem: +0.4±0.5 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +1.0 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.

Dominic Thiem returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv LorenzoValue
FH through the middle51%+4.3−1.4+0.8+3.6±1.2
FH down the line22%+1.7−1.0−2.1−1.4±2.5
FH crosscourt17%+5.5−1.0+0.4+4.9±2.8
FH slice through the middle6%−4.2−1.0+0.4−4.8±2.0
FH slice down the line2%−4.3−3.2+1.1−6.3±3.2

Lean FH crosscourt: +3.1±2.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (2907 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv LorenzoValue
BH through the middle34%+6.4−1.0+0.5+5.9±1.1
BH slice through the middle18%−4.2−2.3−0.8−7.3±1.6
BH crosscourt18%+8.8−1.5−0.9+6.4±1.6
BH slice crosscourt13%+0.5−2.3−1.0−2.8±2.2
BH down the line12%+4.2−4.1−0.7−0.5±2.9

Lean BH crosscourt: +5.5±1.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (3946 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv LorenzoValue
FH through the middle48%−3.5−0.5−0.8−4.7±1.7
FH crosscourt29%−0.2+0.8+1.1+1.7±3.3
FH down the line19%−1.8−0.8−0.5−3.0±3.6
FH slice through the middle2%−12.7−0.5−1.7−14.8±2.1
FH slice down the line1%−9.4−0.3−1.7−11.4±2.5

Lean FH crosscourt: +4.5±2.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (802 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv LorenzoValue
BH through the middle32%−2.9−1.0+0.2−3.6±1.2
BH crosscourt27%+1.0+1.2−0.7+1.5±1.6
FH through the middle13%−2.9+0.9−0.8−2.7±1.5
FH inside-out9%+1.0+0.2−0.5+0.7±2.6
BH down the line8%−0.2−5.1−0.8−6.0±4.0
FH inside-in4%+0.6+0.8+1.1+2.5±3.7

Lean FH inside-in: +4.9±3.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (2564 returns charted)

Lorenzo Musetti returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DominicValue
FH through the middle40%+4.3−0.5−1.2+2.5±1.2
FH down the line24%+1.7−1.4−1.3−1.1±2.4
FH slice through the middle15%−4.2−0.4−1.6−6.2±1.7
FH crosscourt10%+5.5+2.3−1.6+6.3±2.9
FH slice down the line8%−4.3+0.2+1.2−2.9±2.9

Lean FH crosscourt: +6.2±2.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (2257 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DominicValue
BH slice through the middle27%−4.2+1.4−1.9−4.8±1.3
BH through the middle25%+6.4+1.1−1.1+6.4±1.3
BH crosscourt20%+8.8+1.4+0.8+10.9±1.7
BH slice crosscourt11%+0.5−0.6−1.4−1.5±2.1
BH down the line9%+4.2±0.0−4.4−0.2±3.1

Lean BH crosscourt: +9.1±1.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (2587 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DominicValue
FH through the middle47%−3.5+1.1−0.9−3.3±1.8
FH down the line25%−1.8−1.0−0.8−3.6±3.5
FH crosscourt23%−0.2−1.2−3.1−4.5±3.4
FH slice through the middle3%−12.7−0.7+0.7−12.7±2.1
FH slice down the line2%−9.4+1.2−0.1−8.4±2.2

Lean FH through the middle: +0.7±1.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (600 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DominicValue
BH through the middle33%−2.9+1.0±0.0−2.0±1.2
BH crosscourt27%+1.0+1.4±0.0+2.5±1.6
BH down the line14%−0.2−1.8−0.4−2.3±3.3
FH through the middle10%−2.9+1.2−0.9−2.5±1.6
FH inside-out6%+1.0−1.1−0.8−0.9±2.9

Lean BH crosscourt: +4.1±1.4 per 100 returns v the current mix (1827 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.

Dominic Thiem

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH drop shot to their forehand · rally+4.1±4.7+7.3−3.1
BH volley to their forehand · rally+4.0±4.6+3.2+0.8
FH drop shot to their backhand · rally+3.3±4.9+4.5−1.2
BH drop shot to their backhand · rally+3.3±4.7+2.7+0.5
FH slice to their forehand · rally+2.1±3.5+2.9−0.7
FH lob to the middle · rally+2.1±3.7+1.2+0.9

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH slice to their backhand · return +1−5.8±3.5−0.9−4.9
FH volley to the middle · rally−5.4±5.7−4.0−1.4
BH slice to their forehand · return +1−5.4±3.1−1.4−4.0
BH to their forehand · return−4.6±2.4−4.4−0.3
Smash to their forehand · rally−4.6±3.4−1.1−3.5

Lorenzo Musetti

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH lob to the middle · rally+3.9±2.8+2.7+1.2
Smash to their backhand · rally+2.9±4.1−0.4+3.3
FH to their forehand · serve +1+2.4±1.4+1.3+1.1
BH lob to the middle · return +1+2.2±2.4+1.8+0.4
BH to their backhand · return +1+2.1±1.6+2.8−0.6
FH to the middle · return +1+2.1±1.4+1.9+0.1

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH volley to the middle · rally−6.5±5.8−1.2−5.4
BH volley to their backhand · rally−5.0±4.7−3.3−1.8
FH volley to their forehand · rally−5.0±4.3−4.1−1.0
BH to their forehand · return +1−4.9±2.8−2.5−2.4
BH slice to their forehand · rally−4.7±2.3+0.5−5.2

Against Lorenzo Musetti-like opponents

Dominic Thiem vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–64.6%36.3%
Players most similar to Lorenzo Musetti18 63.5%36.1%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Learner Tien, Novak Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Marton Fucsovics, Pedro Martinez, Dusan Lajovic, Robin Haase, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Guillermo Garcia Lopez. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.