RallyIQ

Game plan

Jarkko Nieminen v Miloslav Mecir

Every number combines what Jarkko Nieminen does well with what Miloslav Mecir 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 43%90%: 16%–74% · best of 5: 41%
Serve points won 57.3% / 58.7% Jarkko / Miloslav · tour 63.8%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 43%serve 57.3% / 58.7%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Miloslav Mecir'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

CareerJarkkoMiloslav
Direction choice−0.26 ±0.13
better than 8%
+0.09 ±0.15
better than 80%
Shot selection−0.02 ±0.27
better than 51%
−0.10 ±0.23
better than 40%
Execution+0.34 ±0.76
better than 80%
−0.41 ±0.63
better than 48%
Points left on the table3.24 ±0.24
lower than 12%
2.41 ±0.36
lower than 72%

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 MiloslavMatchupOptimal
Wide41%62%71%60.2%±10.342%
Body18%58%62%56.1%±13.75% ▼
T40%65%72%61.6%±10.153% ▲

Optimal v Miloslav Mecir: +0.4±1.1 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +1.6 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowJarkko winsv MiloslavMatchupOptimal
Wide52%59%73%59.7%±10.150% ▼
Body11%64%62%62.7%±15.10% ▼
T37%69%69%65.7%±10.750% ▲

Optimal v Miloslav Mecir: +0.5±1.0 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +3.4 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Miloslav Mecir serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowMiloslav winsv JarkkoMatchupOptimal
Wide45%60%71%57.7%±9.332% ▼
Body21%62%61%60.4%±13.221%
T34%61%81%69.4%±10.447% ▲

Optimal v Jarkko Nieminen: +0.5±1.0 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +7.1 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowMiloslav winsv JarkkoMatchupOptimal
Wide63%60%78%66.2%±9.462%
Body12%59%67%62.5%±13.60% ▼
T25%64%77%69.4%±10.738% ▲

Optimal v Jarkko Nieminen: +0.5±1.0 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +2.9 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 MiloslavValue
FH through the middle46%+4.3−3.4+1.3+2.2±3.0
FH down the line20%+1.7+1.5+4.0+7.2±4.3
FH crosscourt16%+5.5−1.8+0.3+3.9±4.2
FH slice through the middle13%−4.2+0.1+1.4−2.6±2.0
FH slice down the line4%−4.3+0.7+1.4−2.1±1.8

Lean FH down the line: +4.5±3.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (123 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MiloslavValue
BH through the middle36%+6.4+0.1−0.6+5.9±2.8
BH slice through the middle20%−4.2+0.5+3.9+0.2±2.4
BH crosscourt20%+8.8−2.0+1.0+7.8±3.5
BH slice down the line9%−8.4+0.1+5.1−3.2±3.1
BH down the line8%+4.2+3.1+1.0+8.3±4.2

Lean BH crosscourt: +3.7±3.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (153 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MiloslavValue
FH through the middle44%−3.5−0.5+0.2−3.8±2.8
FH crosscourt28%−0.2+0.8+1.7+2.2±4.0
FH down the line28%−1.8+1.6+4.0+3.8±4.4

Lean FH down the line: +3.8±3.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (54 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MiloslavValue
BH through the middle51%−2.9+1.7+1.0−0.2±2.6
BH crosscourt32%+1.0−1.1+3.5+3.4±3.1
BH down the line10%−0.2±0.0−0.8−1.0±4.3
FH through the middle7%−2.9+0.2+0.2−2.6±2.1

Lean BH crosscourt: +2.7±2.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (101 returns charted)

Miloslav Mecir returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv JarkkoValue
FH through the middle46%+4.3−1.6−1.3+1.3±3.0
FH crosscourt31%+5.5+0.7+1.9+8.1±4.4
FH down the line24%+1.7−0.3−5.3−3.9±4.5

Lean FH crosscourt: +5.9±3.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (191 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv JarkkoValue
BH crosscourt42%+8.8+0.5+2.6+11.9±3.6
BH through the middle42%+6.4−3.0+1.9+5.3±2.9
BH down the line17%+4.2+3.5+1.3+9.0±4.5

Lean BH crosscourt: +3.3±2.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (154 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv JarkkoValue
FH crosscourt43%−0.2−0.6+0.7−0.1±4.3
FH through the middle41%−3.5+0.3−1.8−5.0±2.8
FH down the line16%−1.8+0.4−0.8−2.2±4.1

Lean FH crosscourt: +2.4±2.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (58 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv JarkkoValue
BH crosscourt62%+1.0+2.6−2.3+1.3±3.1
BH through the middle28%−2.9+1.0−0.2−2.1±2.5
BH down the line10%−0.2−1.3+1.6+0.1±4.1

Lean BH crosscourt: +1.1±1.4 per 100 returns v the current mix (159 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 hard. Each player's hard record is shrunk toward their all-surface one, so a thin sample on it moves the numbers only a little.

Jarkko Nieminen

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · rally+3.9±4.0+0.1+3.8
FH to the middle · rally+2.3±3.4+1.4+1.0
BH to the middle · return+1.8±3.5+2.3−0.5
BH to their backhand · rally+0.7±3.5−0.9+1.6
FH to their forehand · serve +1−0.3±5.8+1.0−1.3
BH to their forehand · rally−0.4±5.4−0.5+0.1

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to the middle · rally−3.4±3.0−2.6−0.9
FH to the middle · return−3.2±3.8−4.5+1.3
FH to their backhand · serve +1−3.1±5.5−4.0+0.9
BH to their backhand · serve +1−2.1±5.1−1.3−0.8
FH to their backhand · rally−1.7±4.0+1.6−3.3

Miloslav Mecir

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · return +1+9.0±6.5+3.4+5.6
FH to their backhand · rally+7.8±3.5+1.6+6.3
BH to their forehand · return+2.8±6.7+1.3+1.6
FH to their forehand · serve +1+2.8±5.5−5.1+7.8
FH to their forehand · rally+2.2±4.1−1.7+3.9
BH to the middle · return+1.0±3.6−2.3+3.3

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · serve +1−5.5±5.0−6.1+0.6
BH to the middle · rally−4.7±3.2−1.0−3.7
FH to their forehand · return−4.3±6.7+1.2−5.5
BH to their backhand · rally−4.2±3.4−1.3−2.9
FH to the middle · return−2.6±3.8−1.0−1.6

Against Miloslav Mecir-like opponents

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

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Valentin Vacherot, Alex Michelsen, Damir Dzumhur, Paul Henri Mathieu, Andre Agassi, Marcelo Rios, Sergi Bruguera, Andrei Chesnokov, Jonas Svensson. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.