RallyIQ

Game plan

Jordan Thompson v Arthur Cazaux

Every number combines what Jordan Thompson does well with what Arthur Cazaux allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Jordan Thompson wins, best of 3 44%90%: 15%–77% · best of 5: 43%
Serve points won 61.9% / 63.0% Jordan / Arthur · tour 61.3%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 49%serve 62.3% / 62.6%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Jordan Thompson's record against Arthur Cazaux's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: −23.0 on serve, −26.3 on return vs expectation (52 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

CareerJordanArthur
Direction choice−0.21 ±0.06
better than 12%
−0.18 ±0.16
better than 17%
Shot selection+0.10 ±0.18
better than 66%
−0.06 ±0.30
better than 47%
Execution−0.30 ±0.53
better than 53%
+0.04 ±0.45
better than 72%
Points left on the table2.84 ±0.13
lower than 27%
2.87 ±0.20
lower than 26%

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.

Structural compatibility

Expected edge per 100 rally shots from style alone: Jordan Thompson +0.72, Arthur Cazaux −0.20. Each player's shot mix weighted by their own skill with each shot and by how much the other gives up against it. This is why some rankings gaps don't hold in a given matchup.

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.

Jordan Thompson serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowJordan winsv ArthurMatchupOptimal
Wide44%71%73%70.7%±6.842% ▼
Body11%63%66%65.4%±13.20% ▼
T45%77%79%80.2%±6.158% ▲

Optimal v Arthur Cazaux: +0.4±0.8 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +5.8 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowJordan winsv ArthurMatchupOptimal
Wide44%74%75%76.0%±6.839% ▼
Body8%67%65%69.1%±13.30% ▼
T48%72%80%79.6%±5.961% ▲

Optimal v Arthur Cazaux: +0.6±0.7 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +2.4 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Arthur Cazaux serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowArthur winsv JordanMatchupOptimal
Wide46%72%78%77.9%±5.959% ▲
Body5%60%65%62.1%±13.70% ▼
T49%78%74%77.4%±6.341% ▼

Optimal v Jordan Thompson: +0.5±0.7 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +0.9 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowArthur winsv JordanMatchupOptimal
Wide54%72%68%67.7%±7.367% ▲
Body3%69%59%64.9%±14.40% ▼
T43%71%72%71.6%±7.233% ▼

Optimal v Jordan Thompson: +0.3±0.8 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +2.3 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.

Jordan Thompson returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv ArthurValue
FH through the middle53%+4.3−0.8−2.8+0.7±2.6
FH down the line24%+1.7−4.8−1.8−4.9±4.2
FH crosscourt15%+5.5−2.6+1.5+4.4±4.4
FH slice through the middle5%−4.2+1.9+0.7−1.7±2.3
FH slice crosscourt1%−4.3+0.3+1.0−3.0±2.0

Lean FH crosscourt: +4.7±4.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (521 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv ArthurValue
BH through the middle48%+6.4+3.6−2.0+8.1±2.5
BH crosscourt29%+8.8+0.6+1.6+11.0±3.4
BH down the line11%+4.2+2.3−1.2+5.4±4.5
BH slice through the middle7%−4.2−1.4+0.1−5.5±2.4
BH slice crosscourt3%+0.5−3.0−2.8−5.3±2.5

Lean BH crosscourt: +4.2±2.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (485 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv ArthurValue
FH through the middle61%−3.5+2.4−0.1−1.2±2.8
FH crosscourt24%−0.2−2.7+1.9−1.0±4.4
FH down the line15%−1.8−2.3+1.0−3.1±4.4

Lean FH crosscourt: +0.4±3.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (150 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv ArthurValue
BH through the middle47%−2.9+0.9−0.2−2.2±2.4
BH crosscourt38%+1.0+1.8+0.3+3.2±3.1
BH down the line9%−0.2+1.2+0.2+1.1±4.8
FH through the middle4%−2.9+0.8−0.1−2.2±2.2
BH slice through the middle2%−11.3−1.1±0.0−12.4±1.0

Lean BH crosscourt: +3.2±2.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (276 returns charted)

Arthur Cazaux returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv JordanValue
FH through the middle43%+4.3±0.0−1.5+2.7±2.6
FH down the line28%+1.7−3.8−2.7−4.8±4.3
FH slice through the middle14%−4.2−0.9−2.3−7.3±2.3
FH crosscourt9%+5.5−3.4−0.7+1.5±4.1
FH slice down the line5%−4.3+0.5+0.8−2.9±2.8

Lean FH through the middle: +4.0±2.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (243 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv JordanValue
BH through the middle41%+6.4+1.0−1.1+6.3±2.6
BH crosscourt24%+8.8−0.7±0.0+8.1±3.5
BH down the line14%+4.2−2.9+0.3+1.7±4.5
BH slice through the middle12%−4.2−1.6+0.3−5.5±2.4
BH slice crosscourt6%+0.5−2.1+0.1−1.5±2.8

Lean BH crosscourt: +4.5±3.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (204 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv JordanValue
FH through the middle53%−3.5+1.3+1.6−0.6±2.7
FH down the line37%−1.8+0.1−1.7−3.3±4.5
FH crosscourt10%−0.2−2.8+2.5−0.5±3.5

Lean FH through the middle: +1.0±2.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (60 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv JordanValue
BH through the middle53%−2.9+1.2+0.9−0.8±2.3
BH crosscourt34%+1.0−1.3−1.6−1.9±3.1
BH down the line8%−0.2−1.5+3.5+1.8±4.5
FH through the middle5%−2.9+0.6+1.6−0.6±1.9

Lean BH through the middle: +0.2±1.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (172 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 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.

Jordan Thompson

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · serve +1+5.0±4.6+3.3+1.6
FH to their backhand · return +1+4.3±5.3+1.0+3.3
FH to their backhand · rally+4.2±3.9+0.1+4.1
FH to their forehand · rally+1.9±4.2−0.3+2.2
BH to their backhand · rally+1.9±3.5+1.3+0.5
FH to their forehand · return +1+1.5±5.5−0.6+2.1

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · return−4.2±6.1−5.9+1.7
FH to the middle · return−3.9±3.4−0.6−3.4
BH to their backhand · return +1−3.0±4.5−0.3−2.7
BH to the middle · return−2.7±3.1+0.3−3.0
FH to their forehand · serve +1−2.1±5.4−3.7+1.6

Arthur Cazaux

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · serve +1+8.0±5.3+3.2+4.8
FH to their backhand · serve +1+4.0±4.7−1.3+5.3
BH to their backhand · rally+3.0±3.4+1.1+1.9
BH to their backhand · serve +1+2.9±4.5+4.2−1.3
FH to their backhand · return +1+1.5±5.3+1.2+0.3
FH to the middle · return +1+0.7±3.4+1.0−0.3

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · return−6.1±4.9−3.1−3.1
FH to their forehand · return +1−3.9±5.8−3.4−0.5
BH to their forehand · serve +1−3.8±5.9−2.2−1.6
FH to their backhand · rally−3.5±4.0−3.6+0.1
BH to the middle · return−2.6±3.1+0.5−3.1

Against Arthur Cazaux-like opponents

Jordan Thompson vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–63.0%35.9%
Players most similar to Arthur Cazaux1 39.3%4.2%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Gael Monfils, Jakub Mensik, Jack Draper, Marcos Giron, Taylor Fritz, Nuno Borges, Rinky Hijikata, Miomir Kecmanovic, Gregoire Barrere, Filip Krajinovic. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.