RallyIQ

Game plan

Gabriela Sabatini v Amelie Mauresmo

Every number combines what Gabriela Sabatini does well with what Amelie Mauresmo allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Gabriela Sabatini wins, best of 3 55%90%: 25%–83% · best of 5: 57%
Serve points won 56.9% / 55.8% Gabriela / Amelie · tour 56.3%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 55%serve 56.9% / 55.8%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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

CareerGabrielaAmelie
Direction choice+0.07 ±0.21
better than 69%
+0.31 ±0.13
better than 95%
Shot selection−0.44 ±0.25
better than 13%
−0.31 ±0.21
better than 21%
Execution+0.70 ±0.72
better than 85%
+0.61 ±0.36
better than 82%
Points left on the table3.01 ±0.32
lower than 11%
2.65 ±0.21
lower than 43%

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.

Gabriela Sabatini serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowGabriela winsv AmelieMatchupOptimal
Wide32%63%65%62.7%±8.247% ▲
Body24%62%58%62.2%±10.39% ▼
T44%62%68%61.5%±8.344%

Optimal v Amelie Mauresmo: +0.7±1.1 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +0.6 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowGabriela winsv AmelieMatchupOptimal
Wide51%64%65%63.8%±7.652%
Body18%65%69%75.6%±9.233% ▲
T31%60%62%57.9%±9.215% ▼

Optimal v Amelie Mauresmo: +0.4±1.2 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving body every time would read +11.5 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Amelie Mauresmo serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowAmelie winsv GabrielaMatchupOptimal
Wide56%66%59%58.5%±7.250% ▼
Body10%61%48%52.5%±11.20% ▼
T35%73%64%69.2%±8.250% ▲

Optimal v Gabriela Sabatini: +0.4±1.0 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +7.6 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowAmelie winsv GabrielaMatchupOptimal
Wide46%64%62%60.1%±7.661% ▲
Body7%51%53%47.7%±12.80% ▼
T47%65%58%59.0%±9.339% ▼

Optimal v Gabriela Sabatini: +0.5±0.9 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +1.4 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.

Gabriela Sabatini returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AmelieValue
FH through the middle38%+4.2−1.1−0.3+2.8±2.8
FH down the line33%+1.5+2.8−1.5+2.8±4.4
FH slice through the middle14%−6.7+2.0+0.9−3.9±2.5
FH crosscourt9%+5.3+2.2+2.1+9.6±3.9
FH slice down the line7%−10.5+2.6±0.0−7.9±2.8

Lean FH crosscourt: +8.0±4.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (210 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AmelieValue
BH slice crosscourt29%−4.2+3.6+0.7+0.1±2.8
BH slice through the middle26%−6.2+3.9−0.7−3.0±2.5
BH through the middle24%+6.0−6.6−1.9−2.4±2.6
BH crosscourt10%+7.7±0.0−2.3+5.4±3.4
BH down the line8%+2.2−1.2+0.9+1.9±4.4

Lean BH crosscourt: +6.4±3.4 per 100 returns v the current mix (257 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AmelieValue
FH down the line40%−0.6+4.1−1.4+2.1±5.1
FH through the middle30%−3.2+0.9−0.6−2.9±2.8
FH slice through the middle13%−15.2+2.2±0.0−13.0±1.5
FH crosscourt10%+0.5+1.6−2.1+0.1±3.6
FH slice down the line7%−14.1+3.5±0.0−10.6±1.6

Lean FH down the line: +4.5±3.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (92 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AmelieValue
FH inside-out26%+1.4+0.1−1.4±0.0±4.1
BH slice crosscourt19%−7.5+3.6±0.0−3.8±1.8
BH crosscourt15%+1.5+0.7+1.3+3.5±3.2
BH through the middle12%−2.6+0.2+0.8−1.7±2.3
BH slice through the middle11%−11.7+0.8−0.1−11.0±1.7

Lean FH inside-out: +2.3±3.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (84 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

Amelie Mauresmo returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv GabrielaValue
FH through the middle38%+4.2+0.2−2.2+2.1±2.8
FH down the line19%+1.5+3.1+1.5+6.2±4.6
FH slice through the middle18%−6.7+1.4−0.3−5.6±2.4
FH crosscourt13%+5.3+0.9+2.5+8.7±4.3
FH slice crosscourt9%−6.6+1.4+1.6−3.7±2.5

Lean FH crosscourt: +7.1±4.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (580 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv GabrielaValue
BH slice through the middle49%−6.2+1.1+0.4−4.8±2.3
BH slice crosscourt22%−4.2+4.0+3.8+3.7±2.9
BH through the middle9%+6.0−3.6−2.3+0.1±2.9
BH slice down the line9%−12.5+3.3+2.9−6.3±3.5
BH down the line6%+2.2+1.4−0.2+3.4±4.3
BH crosscourt4%+7.7+1.8+1.2+10.7±3.3

Lean BH crosscourt: +12.1±3.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (412 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv GabrielaValue
FH down the line31%−0.6+4.2+0.2+3.8±5.2
FH through the middle31%−3.2+0.4+0.4−2.4±3.1
FH crosscourt28%+0.5+0.4+4.5+5.5±4.5
FH slice through the middle5%−15.2+2.2±0.0−13.0±1.4
FH slice crosscourt4%−14.9+0.6±0.0−14.3±1.5

Lean FH crosscourt: +4.8±3.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (201 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv GabrielaValue
BH through the middle27%−2.6−0.5−1.2−4.4±2.6
BH slice through the middle19%−11.7−0.7±0.0−12.4±2.1
BH crosscourt15%+1.5−1.5+0.1+0.1±3.3
BH down the line15%−0.5+0.1±0.0−0.4±4.5
BH slice crosscourt13%−7.5+0.6+2.5−4.4±2.7

Lean BH crosscourt: +4.2±3.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (246 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.

Gabriela Sabatini

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH slice to their backhand · rally+5.8±2.6+5.6+0.2
FH to their forehand · return +1+4.2±3.6+2.2+2.0
BH to their backhand · return +1+3.3±3.2+0.6+2.7
FH to the middle · rally+1.7±2.2+2.4−0.7
FH to their backhand · return+0.4±3.6+2.1−1.7
FH to their forehand · rally−0.6±2.5+1.1−1.7

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to the middle · return−4.2±2.3−3.4−0.8
BH to their forehand · rally−3.5±3.8+0.4−4.0
FH to their backhand · serve +1−3.5±3.5−1.5−1.9
FH to their forehand · serve +1−2.7±3.7±0.0−2.6
FH to the middle · return−1.9±2.4−1.0−0.9

Amelie Mauresmo

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH slice to their backhand · return+7.6±2.8+3.1+4.5
BH slice to their backhand · rally+5.7±2.0+1.1+4.6
BH slice to their forehand · rally+5.6±3.3+1.5+4.1
BH slice to their backhand · return +1+5.3±2.7+0.6+4.8
FH to their forehand · return+4.3±3.9+0.1+4.2
FH to their backhand · return+3.5±3.8+2.5+1.0

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to the middle · rally−4.0±2.1−0.6−3.4
FH to their forehand · serve +1−3.2±3.4±0.0−3.3
BH to their backhand · return +1−1.9±3.4±0.0−1.9
FH to their backhand · rally−1.5±2.5+0.5−2.1
BH to their forehand · rally−1.5±4.1−0.5−1.0

Against Amelie Mauresmo-like opponents

Gabriela Sabatini vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–56.2%46.4%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Mirra Andreeva, Elise Mertens, Kim Clijsters, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Christina Mchale, Saisai Zheng, Magdalena Rybarikova, Francesca Schiavone, Roberta Vinci, Martina Hingis. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.