RallyIQ

Game plan

Jo Wilfried Tsonga v Sam Querrey

Every number combines what Jo Wilfried Tsonga does well with what Sam Querrey allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Jo Wilfried Tsonga wins, best of 3 32%90%: 14%–56% · best of 5: 28%
Serve points won 63.0% / 66.8% Jo / Sam · tour 61.3%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 37%serve 63.1% / 65.8%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Jo Wilfried Tsonga's record against Sam Querrey's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: −0.8 on serve, −8.6 on return vs expectation (372 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

CareerJoSam
Direction choice+0.19 ±0.05
better than 94%
+0.16 ±0.10
better than 89%
Shot selection+0.38 ±0.10
better than 85%
+0.50 ±0.22
better than 93%
Execution−0.52 ±0.35
better than 44%
−0.88 ±0.95
better than 28%
Points left on the table2.46 ±0.07
lower than 67%
2.35 ±0.18
lower than 79%

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.

Jo Wilfried Tsonga serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowJo winsv SamMatchupOptimal
Wide45%73%74%74.5%±4.639% ▼
Body7%61%62%59.0%±10.10% ▼
T48%80%79%83.7%±3.861% ▲

Optimal v Sam Querrey: +1.4±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +5.8 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowJo winsv SamMatchupOptimal
Wide52%77%77%81.2%±4.365% ▲
Body5%63%70%70.1%±9.50% ▼
T42%75%74%76.5%±4.935% ▼

Optimal v Sam Querrey: +0.4±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +2.6 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Sam Querrey serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowSam winsv JoMatchupOptimal
Wide46%76%75%77.7%±4.338% ▼
Body5%67%68%71.4%±10.40% ▼
T49%82%74%81.1%±4.162% ▲

Optimal v Jo Wilfried Tsonga: +0.4±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +2.1 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowSam winsv JoMatchupOptimal
Wide51%81%72%80.3%±4.564% ▲
Body6%62%69%68.0%±10.70% ▼
T44%74%74%75.6%±5.036% ▼

Optimal v Jo Wilfried Tsonga: +0.4±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +2.7 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.

Jo Wilfried Tsonga returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv SamValue
FH through the middle36%+4.3−0.5−2.7+1.1±2.3
FH crosscourt23%+5.5−0.6+0.3+5.2±3.8
FH slice through the middle15%−4.2+1.3+2.9−0.1±2.1
FH down the line15%+1.7+0.9−2.8−0.2±4.1
FH slice crosscourt7%−4.3−2.2+1.3−5.2±2.7

Lean FH crosscourt: +4.1±3.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (1365 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv SamValue
BH through the middle29%+6.4+0.7−1.0+6.2±2.3
BH crosscourt21%+8.8−0.3−0.5+7.9±3.0
BH slice through the middle21%−4.2+2.0+0.8−1.5±2.1
BH slice crosscourt14%+0.5+3.2+1.0+4.7±2.7
BH down the line9%+4.2+1.5+2.4+8.1±4.0

Lean BH down the line: +3.8±3.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (1899 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv SamValue
FH crosscourt37%−0.2+1.4+2.9+4.1±4.2
FH through the middle33%−3.5−0.2+0.5−3.1±2.7
FH down the line16%−1.8±0.0−0.6−2.4±4.7
FH slice through the middle8%−12.7−1.4+0.5−13.6±2.1
FH slice down the line2%−9.4−2.0−0.1−11.4±2.2

Lean FH crosscourt: +5.5±2.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (345 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv SamValue
BH through the middle29%−2.9−2.7−1.3−6.9±2.0
BH crosscourt28%+1.0±0.0±0.0+1.0±2.7
BH down the line9%−0.2−5.8+0.4−5.6±4.7
FH through the middle8%−2.9−1.2+0.5−3.5±2.3
FH inside-in8%+0.6−2.2+2.9+1.2±4.3
FH inside-out7%+1.0+1.1−0.6+1.5±3.7

Lean FH inside-out: +4.7±3.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (1222 returns charted)

Sam Querrey returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv JoValue
FH through the middle45%+4.3−0.5+0.4+4.2±2.2
FH crosscourt25%+5.5−0.7−2.1+2.6±3.8
FH down the line15%+1.7+0.8+1.4+3.8±3.9
FH slice through the middle9%−4.2±0.0+0.4−3.7±2.2
FH slice down the line4%−4.3+1.8−1.7−4.2±2.9

Lean FH through the middle: +1.6±1.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (365 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv JoValue
BH through the middle40%+6.4−1.0−0.4+5.1±2.2
BH crosscourt33%+8.8+0.9−0.9+8.8±2.9
BH slice through the middle10%−4.2+0.8−2.3−5.7±2.1
BH down the line9%+4.2+1.2+0.7+6.1±4.1
BH slice crosscourt5%+0.5−1.8−0.4−1.6±2.5

Lean BH crosscourt: +4.2±2.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (297 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv JoValue
FH through the middle49%−3.5−1.1+0.6−3.9±2.5
FH crosscourt34%−0.2+0.8+0.1+0.6±4.0
FH down the line18%−1.8+0.1−2.0−3.8±3.8

Lean FH crosscourt: +3.0±3.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (80 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv JoValue
BH crosscourt40%+1.0+2.0+0.2+3.2±2.6
BH through the middle37%−2.9−0.2+0.6−2.5±2.1
BH down the line19%−0.2−0.8−0.8−1.8±4.4
FH through the middle3%−2.9+0.7+0.6−1.6±1.6

Lean BH crosscourt: +3.3±1.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (179 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.

Jo Wilfried Tsonga

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · return +1+3.4±4.3−0.4+3.8
FH to their forehand · rally+2.5±2.8−0.7+3.2
BH slice to their backhand · return+2.3±3.1+2.4−0.2
FH to their backhand · return +1+2.0±3.9−1.0+3.0
FH slice to the middle · return+1.5±2.5−1.4+2.8
FH to the middle · rally+0.9±2.3−0.8+1.7

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to the middle · serve +1−4.6±2.9−2.3−2.3
FH to the middle · return−4.4±2.4−2.5−1.9
BH slice to the middle · rally−3.0±2.5−1.7−1.3
BH to their backhand · return−2.4±2.8−1.4−1.0
BH slice to their backhand · rally−2.2±2.7−2.6+0.4

Sam Querrey

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · return+2.4±4.5−0.3+2.7
BH to their forehand · return +1+2.3±5.3+1.1+1.2
FH to their backhand · serve +1+1.4±3.0+1.5−0.2
BH to their backhand · serve +1+1.1±3.2−2.1+3.3
FH to their forehand · return+1.0±4.5+0.5+0.5
BH to their backhand · return+0.8±2.5+1.8−1.0

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · return +1−3.9±4.2−2.8−1.1
FH to the middle · serve +1−3.4±2.9−2.7−0.7
FH to the middle · rally−3.2±2.4−1.9−1.3
BH to their forehand · rally−2.7±4.1−2.4−0.3
BH to the middle · return +1−2.1±2.7−1.8−0.3

Against Sam Querrey-like opponents

Jo Wilfried Tsonga vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–65.0%33.6%
Players most similar to Sam Querrey3 65.8%25.9%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Joao Fonseca, Sebastian Korda, Alexei Popyrin, Zizou Bergs, Quentin Halys, Marin Cilic, Roman Safiullin, Lucas Pouille, Lloyd Harris. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.