RallyIQ

Game plan

Flavio Cobolli v Andrei Pavel

Every number combines what Flavio Cobolli does well with what Andrei Pavel allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Flavio Cobolli wins, best of 3 43%90%: 12%–79% · best of 5: 41%
Serve points won 61.5% / 62.9% Flavio / Andrei · tour 61.3%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 43%serve 61.5% / 62.9%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Flavio Cobolli's record against Andrei Pavel'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

CareerFlavioAndrei
Direction choice−0.14 ±0.11
better than 21%
−0.18 ±0.09
better than 16%
Shot selection−0.07 ±0.21
better than 44%
+0.06 ±0.31
better than 60%
Execution−1.35 ±0.63
better than 14%
+0.16 ±0.60
better than 75%
Points left on the table2.80 ±0.13
lower than 31%
3.10 ±0.37
lower than 15%

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.

Flavio Cobolli serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowFlavio winsv AndreiMatchupOptimal
Wide42%66%79%73.1%±8.029% ▼
Body6%65%68%69.7%±14.46%
T52%74%78%77.1%±7.465% ▲

Optimal v Andrei Pavel: +0.6±0.9 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +2.2 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowFlavio winsv AndreiMatchupOptimal
Wide58%70%75%72.4%±8.053% ▼
Body8%66%64%66.6%±14.90% ▼
T34%73%73%73.6%±8.347% ▲

Optimal v Andrei Pavel: +0.3±0.8 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +1.3 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Andrei Pavel serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowAndrei winsv FlavioMatchupOptimal
Wide43%71%73%71.3%±7.937% ▼
Body8%67%70%73.2%±13.00% ▼
T49%79%77%81.5%±6.063% ▲

Optimal v Flavio Cobolli: +0.9±0.8 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +5.0 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowAndrei winsv FlavioMatchupOptimal
Wide53%65%74%66.5%±8.063% ▲
Body4%62%68%66.5%±15.90% ▼
T42%60%74%62.2%±9.137% ▼

Optimal v Flavio Cobolli: +0.2±0.6 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.

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.

Flavio Cobolli returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndreiValue
FH through the middle40%+4.3−0.5+0.1+3.8±2.9
FH down the line17%+1.7+0.5−0.7+1.5±4.5
FH slice through the middle17%−4.2+0.6±0.0−3.6±1.7
FH crosscourt16%+5.5−0.9+2.6+7.2±4.4
FH slice down the line8%−4.3−2.1±0.0−6.4±2.2

Lean FH crosscourt: +5.5±4.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (365 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndreiValue
BH through the middle32%+6.4−3.0+1.2+4.6±2.7
BH slice through the middle19%−4.2−1.0+0.6−4.6±2.5
BH crosscourt18%+8.8+0.2−0.7+8.2±3.5
BH down the line13%+4.2+0.1−1.9+2.4±4.2
BH slice down the line11%−8.4−0.4+1.8−7.0±3.3

Lean BH crosscourt: +6.8±3.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (436 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndreiValue
FH through the middle59%−3.5−0.7+0.1−4.1±2.9
FH down the line21%−1.8−2.3+0.2−3.9±4.4
FH crosscourt20%−0.2−2.3−0.4−2.9±4.3

Lean FH crosscourt: +0.9±3.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (122 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AndreiValue
BH through the middle41%−2.9−2.3+0.9−4.3±2.4
BH crosscourt28%+1.0−2.8−0.4−2.2±3.3
BH down the line12%−0.2−3.2+2.2−1.2±4.5
FH through the middle11%−2.9−0.6+0.1−3.4±2.4
FH inside-out5%+1.0−0.1+0.2+1.1±3.3

Lean FH inside-out: +4.0±3.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (297 returns charted)

Andrei Pavel returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv FlavioValue
FH through the middle56%+4.3−2.0+0.6+2.9±2.8
FH down the line24%+1.7−1.5−2.4−2.2±4.4
FH crosscourt20%+5.5+1.0+4.4+11.0±4.3

Lean FH crosscourt: +7.7±3.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (144 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv FlavioValue
BH slice through the middle40%−4.2+1.1−2.4−5.5±2.5
BH through the middle22%+6.4−1.2−0.6+4.7±2.6
BH crosscourt13%+8.8−0.1+2.5+11.2±3.1
BH slice crosscourt11%+0.5+1.1−1.6−0.1±2.8
BH slice down the line9%−8.4−0.3−2.8−11.5±3.0

Lean BH crosscourt: +11.5±3.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (141 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv FlavioValue
FH through the middle50%−3.5+1.3−0.1−2.2±2.6
FH crosscourt33%−0.2+1.1−2.9−2.1±4.1
FH down the line17%−1.8−0.3−1.6−3.7±4.1

Lean FH crosscourt: +0.4±3.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (46 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv FlavioValue
BH crosscourt45%+1.0+1.7−0.3+2.5±3.0
BH through the middle31%−2.9−0.3+0.4−2.8±2.3
BH down the line13%−0.2−1.2+1.6+0.2±4.6
BH slice crosscourt11%−4.0+0.2±0.0−3.8±1.5

Lean BH crosscourt: +2.6±1.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (116 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 on clay. Each player's clay record is shrunk toward their all-surface one, so a thin sample on it moves the numbers only a little.

Flavio Cobolli

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to the middle · return+2.3±3.3+0.7+1.6
BH to the middle · return+2.1±3.2−1.2+3.3
BH to their backhand · rally+1.4±3.2−0.6+2.0
BH to the middle · rally+1.3±2.8+1.7−0.4
FH to their forehand · rally+0.4±4.4+0.5±0.0
FH to their forehand · return+0.4±5.5−0.8+1.2

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · rally−7.3±5.7−3.8−3.5
BH to their backhand · return−2.4±4.1±0.0−2.4
FH to their forehand · return +1−1.3±5.1+0.5−1.8
FH to their backhand · serve +1−1.3±4.7−2.5+1.2
FH to their backhand · rally−1.2±4.1−0.4−0.8

Andrei Pavel

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · rally+3.4±4.5+0.4+3.0
BH to their backhand · rally+2.6±3.2+1.8+0.7
BH to the middle · rally+1.6±3.0+1.2+0.4
FH to the middle · rally+1.5±3.1+1.1+0.4
BH to their backhand · return+1.2±3.8+0.2+1.0
BH slice to the middle · return−0.2±2.9+2.1−2.3

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · serve +1−3.7±4.0−2.7−1.1
FH to their forehand · serve +1−3.1±5.2−0.6−2.5
BH to their backhand · serve +1−1.3±3.9+2.8−4.1
FH to the middle · return−0.7±3.4−2.6+1.9
BH to the middle · return−0.7±3.2−2.0+1.3

Against Andrei Pavel-like opponents

Flavio Cobolli vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–61.0%31.4%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Jiri Lehecka, Gael Monfils, Mackenzie Mcdonald, Richard Gasquet, Andreas Seppi, Roger Federer, Paolo Lorenzi, Ivan Ljubicic, Cedric Pioline. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.