RallyIQ

Game plan

Fabio Fognini v Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

Every number combines what Fabio Fognini does well with what Alejandro Davidovich Fokina allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Fabio Fognini wins, best of 3 43%90%: 20%–68% · best of 5: 41%
Serve points won 58.7% / 60.1% Fabio / Alejandro · tour 63.4%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 37%serve 58.3% / 60.9%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Fabio Fognini's record against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: +1.5 on serve, +3.4 on return vs expectation (857 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

CareerFabioAlejandro
Direction choice±0.00 ±0.06
better than 58%
−0.06 ±0.06
better than 42%
Shot selection−0.12 ±0.12
better than 36%
−0.04 ±0.10
better than 48%
Execution−1.06 ±0.38
better than 24%
−0.44 ±0.30
better than 47%
Points left on the table2.46 ±0.10
lower than 67%
2.43 ±0.11
lower than 70%

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: Fabio Fognini −0.82, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina −0.80. 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.

Fabio Fognini serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowFabio winsv AlejandroMatchupOptimal
Wide44%71%71%68.5%±4.443%
Body13%56%59%51.1%±8.50% ▼
T44%68%74%67.5%±4.757% ▲

Optimal v Alejandro Davidovich Fokina: +0.8±0.8 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +2.6 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowFabio winsv AlejandroMatchupOptimal
Wide46%67%71%64.6%±4.846%
Body13%57%61%55.3%±9.10% ▼
T41%67%68%63.1%±5.254% ▲

Optimal v Alejandro Davidovich Fokina: +0.2±0.8 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +1.8 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowAlejandro winsv FabioMatchupOptimal
Wide47%69%69%64.9%±4.434% ▼
Body24%59%73%69.5%±7.524%
T29%66%75%65.7%±5.242% ▲

Optimal v Fabio Fognini: +0.2±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving body every time would read +3.3 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowAlejandro winsv FabioMatchupOptimal
Wide35%62%71%59.3%±4.944% ▲
Body22%63%71%70.6%±7.826% ▲
T43%65%71%64.1%±5.230% ▼

Optimal v Fabio Fognini: +0.1±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving body every time would read +6.8 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.

Fabio Fognini returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AlejandroValue
FH through the middle43%+4.3+1.0+1.1+6.4±1.8
FH down the line18%+1.7+4.7−0.5+5.9±3.7
FH slice through the middle16%−4.2+0.2−1.7−5.7±2.2
FH crosscourt14%+5.5−0.3−1.4+3.9±3.6
FH slice down the line5%−4.3+0.8−0.6−4.1±3.2

Lean FH through the middle: +3.4±1.4 per 100 returns v the current mix (717 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AlejandroValue
BH through the middle35%+6.4+0.4+1.6+8.4±1.8
BH crosscourt22%+8.8−0.2+0.5+9.0±2.6
BH slice through the middle19%−4.2+1.4−3.2−6.0±2.3
BH slice crosscourt13%+0.5−0.8−0.2−0.4±2.9
BH down the line6%+4.2−1.0+0.3+3.5±4.3

Lean BH crosscourt: +5.7±2.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (814 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AlejandroValue
FH through the middle50%−3.5−0.5−1.1−5.1±2.4
FH down the line35%−1.8−4.1+1.6−4.3±4.4
FH crosscourt15%−0.2−0.2+1.8+1.4±3.7

Lean FH crosscourt: +5.2±3.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (145 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AlejandroValue
BH through the middle39%−2.9−0.6−0.8−4.2±1.9
BH crosscourt37%+1.0+0.2−0.1+1.1±2.6
BH down the line14%−0.2−1.0+0.2−1.0±4.8
FH through the middle3%−2.9+0.1−1.1−3.9±2.0
BH slice crosscourt2%−4.0−2.7−0.2−6.9±2.2

Lean BH crosscourt: +2.9±1.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (690 returns charted)

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv FabioValue
FH through the middle43%+4.3+0.4+1.3+6.0±1.9
FH down the line20%+1.7−2.5−0.3−1.1±3.7
FH crosscourt15%+5.5+0.4−0.3+5.5±3.8
FH slice through the middle15%−4.2−0.3+0.9−3.6±2.2
FH slice down the line4%−4.3−0.2+1.4−3.0±3.0

Lean FH through the middle: +3.6±1.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (1084 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv FabioValue
BH through the middle42%+6.4+2.6+0.6+9.6±1.8
BH crosscourt24%+8.8+2.0+2.8+13.6±2.7
BH slice through the middle15%−4.2−2.1+2.1−4.2±2.2
BH down the line11%+4.2−0.8±0.0+3.4±4.4
BH slice crosscourt5%+0.5−3.0+3.8+1.3±3.0

Lean BH crosscourt: +6.8±2.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (962 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv FabioValue
FH through the middle44%−3.5−0.8+0.8−3.5±2.5
FH down the line27%−1.8+1.1+0.9+0.2±4.5
FH crosscourt25%−0.2−5.7+0.6−5.4±4.2
FH slice through the middle4%−12.7−0.9−0.8−14.4±1.6

Lean FH down the line: +3.6±3.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (220 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv FabioValue
BH through the middle42%−2.9+0.1+0.4−2.3±1.8
BH crosscourt36%+1.0+0.1+1.7+2.9±2.4
BH down the line18%−0.2−3.4−0.4−4.1±4.7
BH slice through the middle2%−11.3+0.1+1.1−10.1±2.1
FH inside-out1%+1.0+0.4+0.9+2.3±2.9

Lean BH crosscourt: +3.7±1.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (669 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.

Fabio Fognini

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH volley to their forehand · rally+3.4±5.9+4.0−0.6
BH to the middle · return+2.3±1.3±0.0+2.3
FH to their backhand · return +1+1.9±3.1+0.7+1.2
BH volley to their backhand · rally+1.9±5.7+0.7+1.2
BH slice to their forehand · rally+1.0±3.4+0.2+0.8
FH to the middle · return+0.9±1.5+0.3+0.5

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · serve +1−5.3±3.9−2.6−2.7
BH to their forehand · rally−4.6±2.7−2.7−1.8
FH volley to their forehand · rally−4.3±5.5+1.3−5.6
BH slice to their backhand · return +1−3.0±2.5−2.8−0.2
BH to their forehand · return−3.0±3.8−3.9+1.0

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their backhand · return+2.6±1.9±0.0+2.6
FH to the middle · return +1+2.6±2.3+2.4+0.2
FH slice to the middle · rally+2.4±2.7+0.2+2.3
FH to the middle · return+1.9±1.5+0.6+1.2
BH to the middle · return+1.8±1.3+1.1+0.7
BH to the middle · return +1+1.7±1.9+1.6±0.0

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · serve +1−6.8±2.4−5.3−1.5
FH to the middle · rally−4.2±1.4−2.4−1.7
FH to their forehand · return +1−3.6±3.1−1.7−1.9
FH to their forehand · rally−2.8±1.7−2.4−0.4
FH to the middle · serve +1−2.4±2.0−2.1−0.3

Against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina-like opponents

Fabio Fognini vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–58.4%35.2%
Players most similar to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina5 58.9%37.9%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Carlos Alcaraz, Fabian Marozsan, Tommy Paul, Alexander Shevchenko, Laslo Djere, Alexandre Muller, Holger Rune, Kei Nishikori, Lukas Rosol. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.