RallyIQ

Game plan

Gustavo Kuerten v Petr Korda

Every number combines what Gustavo Kuerten does well with what Petr Korda allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Gustavo Kuerten wins, best of 3 80%90%: 52%–94% · best of 5: 85%
Serve points won 64.4% / 57.9% Gustavo / Petr · tour 61.3%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 78%serve 64.1% / 58.2%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Gustavo Kuerten's record against Petr Korda's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: +12.0 on serve, +9.5 on return vs expectation (83 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

CareerGustavoPetr
Direction choice+0.16 ±0.05
better than 89%
+0.06 ±0.08
better than 72%
Shot selection−0.12 ±0.12
better than 37%
−0.66 ±0.14
better than 6%
Execution+0.04 ±0.26
better than 71%
−0.78 ±0.45
better than 34%
Points left on the table2.48 ±0.10
lower than 64%
3.32 ±0.11
lower than 10%

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.

Gustavo Kuerten serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowGustavo winsv PetrMatchupOptimal
Wide42%78%73%78.1%±3.933% ▼
Body5%62%60%59.0%±11.20% ▼
T54%80%81%84.9%±3.667% ▲

Optimal v Petr Korda: +0.5±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +4.0 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowGustavo winsv PetrMatchupOptimal
Wide64%75%73%74.8%±4.555% ▼
Body4%63%65%65.4%±11.10% ▼
T32%77%75%79.0%±4.345% ▲

Optimal v Petr Korda: +0.3±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +3.2 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Petr Korda serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowPetr winsv GustavoMatchupOptimal
Wide37%75%74%76.1%±4.550% ▲
Body11%60%61%57.2%±9.50% ▼
T52%73%73%70.7%±4.750% ▼

Optimal v Gustavo Kuerten: +0.9±0.7 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving wide every time would read +4.9 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowPetr winsv GustavoMatchupOptimal
Wide63%69%71%67.9%±4.259% ▼
Body10%66%70%71.9%±9.30% ▼
T28%72%73%73.0%±5.941% ▲

Optimal v Gustavo Kuerten: +0.3±0.7 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +3.3 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.

Gustavo Kuerten returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv PetrValue
FH through the middle43%+4.3−0.9−1.0+2.3±2.2
FH down the line26%+1.7−2.1−5.1−5.5±3.9
FH crosscourt19%+5.5−3.7+1.4+3.2±3.7
FH slice through the middle6%−4.2+0.6−1.0−4.6±2.2
FH slice down the line4%−4.3+1.3−0.7−3.6±2.7

Lean FH crosscourt: +3.4±3.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (1134 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv PetrValue
BH through the middle28%+6.4−0.6−0.7+5.2±1.9
BH crosscourt23%+8.8−2.6+3.3+9.5±3.0
BH slice through the middle22%−4.2−1.4+2.4−3.2±1.9
BH slice crosscourt10%+0.5−3.7+5.2+2.0±2.9
BH down the line9%+4.2−1.5−2.8−0.1±4.1

Lean BH crosscourt: +7.1±2.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (1292 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv PetrValue
FH through the middle37%−3.5+0.4−0.3−3.3±2.7
FH crosscourt32%−0.2−1.2−0.6−2.1±4.2
FH down the line29%−1.8−0.7−4.5−6.9±4.5
BH through the middle2%+0.1+0.4+1.0+1.5±1.5

Lean FH crosscourt: +1.8±3.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (377 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv PetrValue
BH through the middle41%−2.9+0.9+1.0−1.0±1.8
BH crosscourt37%+1.0+0.9−0.4+1.5±2.5
BH down the line13%−0.2−1.4−2.5−4.1±4.4
FH through the middle4%−2.9±0.0−0.3−3.1±2.4
FH inside-out2%+1.0−1.5−4.5−5.0±3.6

Lean BH crosscourt: +2.2±1.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (1272 returns charted)

Petr Korda returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv GustavoValue
FH through the middle43%+4.3−1.4−3.1−0.3±2.4
FH crosscourt35%+5.5+2.2−4.1+3.6±3.9
FH down the line23%+1.7−2.3−3.0−3.6±4.1

Lean FH crosscourt: +3.3±2.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (376 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv GustavoValue
BH through the middle27%+6.4−4.7−3.3−1.6±2.2
BH down the line22%+4.2−1.6−2.5±0.0±3.7
BH slice through the middle18%−4.2−0.2+1.3−3.2±2.0
BH slice down the line12%−8.4−2.2−1.0−11.6±3.1
BH crosscourt11%+8.8−0.4−1.8+6.5±3.5

Lean BH crosscourt: +8.3±3.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (661 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv GustavoValue
FH crosscourt44%−0.2+1.5+0.2+1.5±3.9
FH through the middle34%−3.5−2.8−0.2−6.4±2.5
FH down the line22%−1.8+1.7+0.2+0.2±4.3

Lean FH crosscourt: +3.0±2.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (187 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv GustavoValue
BH through the middle33%−2.9−2.4−0.6−5.8±1.8
BH down the line24%−0.2+2.2−0.3+1.7±3.7
BH crosscourt19%+1.0−2.1+1.0−0.1±2.9
BH slice crosscourt9%−4.0−0.4+0.5−3.9±2.6
BH slice through the middle8%−11.3+1.6+1.5−8.2±2.3

Lean BH down the line: +4.6±3.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (528 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.

Gustavo Kuerten

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · serve +1+6.8±4.5+4.2+2.5
BH slice to the middle · return +1+4.6±2.9+2.1+2.6
BH slice to the middle · return+4.3±2.4+1.8+2.6
BH slice to their forehand · return+4.1±4.0−0.4+4.5
FH to the middle · serve +1+2.8±3.1+1.5+1.3
BH to the middle · serve +1+2.4±2.6+0.9+1.5

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · return +1−13.0±4.7+1.4−14.4
FH to their forehand · rally−8.6±3.6−0.4−8.2
FH to their forehand · return−8.6±5.0−2.4−6.2
FH to their backhand · return +1−7.0±3.3−5.1−1.9
BH to their backhand · return +1−6.2±3.4−1.5−4.6

Petr Korda

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH slice to their forehand · return+3.8±4.0+3.8±0.0
BH slice to the middle · return+3.0±2.5+0.6+2.4
FH to their backhand · return +1+2.3±4.1+2.8−0.5
BH to their forehand · rally+1.8±4.2+2.9−1.1
BH to their backhand · serve +1+1.3±3.4+0.9+0.4
BH to the middle · serve +1+0.8±2.5−0.9+1.7

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to the middle · return−9.2±2.4−5.6−3.6
BH slice to their backhand · return−7.1±3.3−7.3+0.2
FH to the middle · return−6.1±2.7−4.0−2.1
FH to the middle · return +1−4.3±2.8−4.7+0.4
FH to their backhand · return−3.7±3.9+0.1−3.8

Against Petr Korda-like opponents

Gustavo Kuerten vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–65.7%36.6%
Players most similar to Petr Korda1 77.4%44.2%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Joao Fonseca, Fernando Verdasco, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Kevin King, Gilles Muller, Tommy Haas, Ivan Ljubicic, Wayne Ferreira, Marcelo Rios. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.