RallyIQ

Game plan

Jarkko Nieminen v Damir Dzumhur

Every number combines what Jarkko Nieminen does well with what Damir Dzumhur allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Jarkko Nieminen wins, best of 3 50%90%: 12%–88% · best of 5: 50%
Serve points won 63.2% / 63.2% Jarkko / Damir · tour 65.7%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 50%serve 63.2% / 63.2%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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

CareerJarkkoDamir
Direction choice−0.26 ±0.13
better than 8%
+0.18 ±0.14
better than 92%
Shot selection−0.02 ±0.27
better than 51%
−0.55 ±0.34
better than 10%
Execution+0.34 ±0.76
better than 80%
−0.24 ±0.89
better than 55%
Points left on the table3.24 ±0.24
lower than 12%
2.37 ±0.28
lower than 77%

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.

Jarkko Nieminen serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowJarkko winsv DamirMatchupOptimal
Wide41%62%65%53.7%±10.542%
Body18%58%65%60.0%±14.25% ▼
T40%65%74%64.2%±10.253% ▲

Optimal v Damir Dzumhur: +0.4±1.1 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +5.1 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowJarkko winsv DamirMatchupOptimal
Wide52%59%69%54.9%±9.865% ▲
Body11%64%69%69.5%±13.90% ▼
T37%69%66%61.8%±10.835% ▼

Optimal v Damir Dzumhur: +0.1±1.0 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving body every time would read +10.4 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Damir Dzumhur serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowDamir winsv JarkkoMatchupOptimal
Wide49%73%71%71.7%±8.262% ▲
Body12%57%61%55.3%±14.90% ▼
T38%61%81%69.1%±10.838%

Optimal v Jarkko Nieminen: +0.6±1.0 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +3.1 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowDamir winsv JarkkoMatchupOptimal
Wide61%60%78%66.1%±10.154% ▼
Body6%65%67%68.3%±14.80% ▼
T33%64%77%69.1%±10.846% ▲

Optimal v Jarkko Nieminen: +0.3±0.9 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +1.9 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.

Jarkko Nieminen returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DamirValue
FH through the middle46%+4.3−3.4+1.5+2.3±3.0
FH down the line20%+1.7+1.5+0.9+4.1±4.4
FH crosscourt16%+5.5−1.8−1.9+1.8±4.2
FH slice through the middle13%−4.2+0.1+2.4−1.7±2.1
FH slice down the line4%−4.3+0.7+0.6−2.9±1.9

Lean FH down the line: +2.2±3.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (123 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DamirValue
BH through the middle36%+6.4+0.1±0.0+6.5±2.8
BH slice through the middle20%−4.2+0.5+1.0−2.7±2.4
BH crosscourt20%+8.8−2.0+1.4+8.2±3.3
BH slice down the line9%−8.4+0.1+3.3−5.0±3.2
BH down the line8%+4.2+3.1+2.3+9.6±4.2

Lean BH crosscourt: +4.4±2.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (153 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DamirValue
FH through the middle44%−3.5−0.5−1.6−5.6±2.6
FH crosscourt28%−0.2+0.8+1.6+2.2±3.8
FH down the line28%−1.8+1.6+0.5+0.3±4.0

Lean FH crosscourt: +4.0±3.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (54 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DamirValue
BH through the middle51%−2.9+1.7+0.6−0.7±2.6
BH crosscourt32%+1.0−1.1−1.2−1.3±3.2
BH down the line10%−0.2±0.0+0.5+0.3±4.4
FH through the middle7%−2.9+0.2−1.6−4.4±1.9

Lean BH through the middle: +0.4±1.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (101 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

Damir Dzumhur returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv JarkkoValue
FH slice through the middle25%−4.2+0.6+1.8−1.8±2.2
FH through the middle23%+4.3+2.4−1.3+5.3±3.1
FH slice crosscourt18%−4.3+1.0+1.6−1.7±2.5
FH down the line17%+1.7+0.9−5.3−2.8±4.5
FH slice down the line11%−4.3+2.4±0.0−1.9±2.1

Lean FH through the middle: +5.1±2.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (207 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv JarkkoValue
BH through the middle41%+6.4+0.1+1.9+8.4±2.9
BH crosscourt34%+8.8+3.9+2.6+15.4±3.6
BH slice through the middle14%−4.2+0.5+2.1−1.6±2.4
BH down the line5%+4.2+1.1+1.3+6.6±4.0
BH slice down the line4%−8.4+0.2−0.9−9.0±2.3

Lean BH crosscourt: +7.0±2.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (169 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv JarkkoValue
FH through the middle33%−3.5−0.1−1.8−5.3±2.8
FH crosscourt19%−0.2−0.6+0.7−0.1±4.0
FH slice through the middle14%−12.7+1.3±0.0−11.4±1.3
FH down the line13%−1.8−0.7−0.8−3.3±4.1
FH slice down the line12%−9.4+1.7±0.0−7.7±1.6

Lean FH through the middle: +0.4±2.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (69 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv JarkkoValue
BH crosscourt44%+1.0−1.5−2.3−2.8±3.2
BH through the middle39%−2.9+0.3−0.2−2.8±2.5
BH down the line17%−0.2+0.3+1.6+1.7±4.1

Lean BH down the line: +3.7±3.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (98 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

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 grass. Each player's grass record is shrunk toward their all-surface one, so a thin sample on it moves the numbers only a little.

Jarkko Nieminen

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to the middle · return+3.1±3.6+2.6+0.5
FH to their forehand · serve +1+1.5±4.0+0.8+0.7
BH to their forehand · rally+0.9±5.0−0.4+1.3
BH to their backhand · serve +1+0.2±3.4−0.7+0.9
FH to the middle · rally+0.2±2.5+0.8−0.6
FH to their backhand · rally−1.2±4.5+1.7−2.9

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · serve +1−6.0±3.6−3.7−2.3
FH to their forehand · rally−4.9±4.1−3.8−1.1
FH to the middle · return−1.7±2.8−3.4+1.8
BH to the middle · rally−1.5±2.1−2.3+0.8
BH to their backhand · rally−1.4±2.4−0.9−0.5

Damir Dzumhur

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · rally+5.8±3.8+0.8+5.0
FH to their forehand · return +1+4.6±4.4+0.6+3.9
FH to their forehand · rally+4.5±3.4+0.6+3.9
BH to the middle · return+2.1±3.7−0.5+2.6
FH to the middle · rally+0.9±3.1+1.5−0.6
BH to their forehand · rally+0.5±4.1−0.6+1.1

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to the middle · rally−3.1±2.3−0.4−2.7
FH to the middle · return−2.1±3.5+1.1−3.2
FH to their backhand · serve +1−1.7±4.4−1.0−0.7
BH to their backhand · rally−1.0±2.6+1.3−2.3
BH to their forehand · rally+0.5±4.1−0.6+1.1

Against Damir Dzumhur-like opponents

Jarkko Nieminen vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–55.4%31.0%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Jaume Munar, Laslo Djere, Alex Michelsen, Daniel Altmaier, Bernard Tomic, Richard Gasquet, Mikhail Kukushkin, Mikhail Youzhny, Fabrice Santoro. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.