RallyIQ

Game plan

Gaston Gaudio v Hugo Gaston

Every number combines what Gaston Gaudio does well with what Hugo Gaston allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Gaston Gaudio wins, best of 3 51%90%: 20%–81% · best of 5: 51%
Serve points won 60.1% / 59.9% Gaston / Hugo · tour 63.4%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 51%serve 60.2% / 60.0%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Gaston Gaudio's record against Hugo Gaston's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: −0.8 on serve, +0.5 on return vs expectation (293 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

CareerGastonHugo
Direction choice−0.11 ±0.11
better than 28%
−0.07 ±0.15
better than 39%
Shot selection−0.44 ±0.15
better than 15%
−0.41 ±0.24
better than 16%
Execution−0.18 ±0.54
better than 58%
−0.58 ±0.52
better than 42%
Points left on the table2.79 ±0.21
lower than 32%
3.11 ±0.27
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.

Gaston Gaudio serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowGaston winsv HugoMatchupOptimal
Wide33%69%68%64.0%±9.846% ▲
Body7%65%54%55.9%±15.87%
T60%63%75%62.5%±9.447% ▼

Optimal v Hugo Gaston: +0.6±0.9 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +1.5 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowGaston winsv HugoMatchupOptimal
Wide62%68%79%74.4%±8.059% ▼
Body10%55%60%52.0%±15.50% ▼
T28%69%73%70.5%±10.141% ▲

Optimal v Hugo Gaston: +0.6±1.0 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +3.3 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Hugo Gaston serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowHugo winsv GastonMatchupOptimal
Wide41%69%66%62.1%±10.342% ▲
Body16%66%64%67.0%±15.03% ▼
T43%67%76%68.8%±9.455% ▲

Optimal v Gaston Gaudio: ±0.0±1.0 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +3.0 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowHugo winsv GastonMatchupOptimal
Wide67%72%63%61.8%±9.054% ▼
Body7%66%65%67.5%±16.17%
T26%75%67%70.5%±11.739% ▲

Optimal v Gaston Gaudio: +0.4±1.0 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +6.1 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.

Gaston Gaudio returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv HugoValue
FH through the middle63%+4.3+1.5−1.9+3.9±3.0
FH down the line25%+1.7+3.2−3.4+1.5±4.4
FH crosscourt13%+5.5+1.2−1.0+5.7±4.3

Lean FH crosscourt: +2.2±4.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (163 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv HugoValue
BH slice through the middle32%−4.2−1.4+0.6−5.0±2.4
BH through the middle28%+6.4−0.5+2.1+8.1±2.7
BH crosscourt19%+8.8−2.0−1.3+5.5±3.5
BH slice crosscourt11%+0.5+0.5+1.5+2.5±2.7
BH down the line6%+4.2−1.8±0.0+2.5±4.1

Lean BH through the middle: +6.3±2.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (172 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv HugoValue
FH through the middle47%−3.5+1.2−0.5−2.8±2.9
FH crosscourt27%−0.2−1.6−1.6−3.4±4.3
FH down the line27%−1.8+1.3+1.3+0.8±4.5

Lean FH down the line: +2.8±3.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (101 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv HugoValue
BH through the middle46%−2.9+1.5−0.1−1.5±2.5
BH crosscourt26%+1.0−1.3−0.5−0.8±3.3
BH down the line17%−0.2−2.7+2.3−0.6±4.7
BH slice crosscourt5%−4.0−1.1±0.0−5.1±1.3
BH slice through the middle5%−11.3+0.6±0.0−10.7±1.2

Lean BH down the line: +1.2±4.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (156 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

Hugo Gaston returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv GastonValue
FH through the middle43%+4.3+0.5+1.9+6.6±3.1
FH crosscourt19%+5.5−4.2−0.4+1.0±4.3
FH slice through the middle17%−4.2−0.5−0.3−5.0±2.0
FH down the line16%+1.7−2.1−0.3−0.7±4.4
FH slice crosscourt5%−4.3−0.1±0.0−4.4±1.4

Lean FH through the middle: +4.8±2.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (152 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv GastonValue
BH through the middle39%+6.4−1.1+0.8+6.1±2.7
BH crosscourt34%+8.8−3.4±0.0+5.4±3.6
BH slice through the middle13%−4.2−1.4+1.2−4.4±2.4
BH down the line9%+4.2−1.4−1.2+1.5±4.3
BH slice crosscourt4%+0.5−1.4+0.4−0.5±2.0

Lean BH through the middle: +2.4±2.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (180 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv GastonValue
FH through the middle44%−3.5+0.4−0.8−3.9±2.9
FH crosscourt37%−0.2+0.1+1.5+1.3±4.4
FH down the line13%−1.8−1.2±0.0−3.0±4.2
FH slice crosscourt6%−12.5±0.0±0.0−12.5±1.3

Lean FH crosscourt: +3.7±3.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (84 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv GastonValue
BH through the middle55%−2.9−1.4−0.6−4.9±2.6
BH crosscourt38%+1.0−0.8−0.9−0.6±3.1
BH down the line8%−0.2−1.0−0.9−2.1±4.2

Lean BH crosscourt: +2.4±2.4 per 100 returns v the current mix (80 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.

Gaston Gaudio

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · rally+2.5±4.0+0.6+2.0
BH to the middle · return+2.4±2.3+0.4+2.0
FH to the middle · rally+0.8±2.4+0.9−0.1
FH to their backhand · return+0.2±4.0+2.1−1.9
FH to their forehand · rally±0.0±3.0+2.5−2.4
FH to their backhand · rally−0.6±2.7+0.1−0.7

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · serve +1−3.1±3.9+0.1−3.2
FH to their backhand · serve +1−2.2±3.5−1.1−1.1
BH to the middle · rally−2.1±2.2−1.5−0.6
FH to their forehand · return +1−1.9±4.4+1.0−2.9
BH to their backhand · rally−1.8±2.8−1.1−0.7

Hugo Gaston

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · rally+3.5±3.3+2.5+0.9
FH to their backhand · rally+3.1±2.8+2.7+0.4
BH to the middle · return+1.7±2.4−0.3+2.0
FH to their backhand · return +1+1.3±4.1+1.4−0.1
FH to the middle · rally+0.7±2.4+1.1−0.4
FH to their backhand · serve +1+0.5±3.6+1.8−1.3

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their backhand · rally−2.7±2.8−3.3+0.6
BH to the middle · rally−2.4±2.1−1.1−1.3
BH to their forehand · rally−2.3±3.9−0.5−1.7
FH to their backhand · return−2.2±4.0−2.7+0.5
BH to their backhand · serve +1−1.8±3.5−1.1−0.7

Against Hugo Gaston-like opponents

Gaston Gaudio vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–56.0%39.8%
Players most similar to Hugo Gaston1 60.3%36.9%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Bublik, Luciano Darderi, Pedro Martinez, Yannick Hanfmann, Mattia Bellucci, Benoit Paire, Marco Cecchinato, Gustavo Kuerten. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.