Game plan

Marat Safin v Dominic Thiem

Every number combines what Marat Safin does well with what Dominic Thiem allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Marat Safin wins, best of 3 55%90%: 32%–75% · best of 5: 56%

Serve points won 65.4% / 64.4% Marat / Dominic · tour 63.4%

Strengths only, no similarity priors 55%serve 65.4% / 64.4%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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

Career	Marat	Dominic
Direction choice	+0.12 ±0.04 better than 84%	+0.12 ±0.03 better than 83%
Shot selection	−0.07 ±0.10 better than 44%	−0.28 ±0.08 better than 25%
Execution	−0.19 ±0.22 better than 58%	+0.04 ±0.20 better than 71%
Points left on the table	2.39 ±0.07 lower than 74%	2.48 ±0.05 lower than 63%

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.

Marat Safin serving

Deuce court

1st serve	Now	Marat wins	v Dominic	Matchup	Optimal
Wide	36%	76%	73%	76.0%±2.7	34% ▼
Body	7%	67%	63%	66.4%±5.7	0% ▼
T	57%	77%	73%	75.3%±2.4	66% ▲

Optimal v Dominic Thiem: +0.3±0.3 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +1.1 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serve	Now	Marat wins	v Dominic	Matchup	Optimal
Wide	53%	74%	72%	72.9%±2.6	44% ▼
Body	6%	73%	65%	75.0%±5.7	2% ▼
T	41%	75%	72%	74.8%±2.9	54% ▲

Optimal v Dominic Thiem: +0.1±0.4 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving body every time would read +1.2 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Dominic Thiem serving

Deuce court

1st serve	Now	Dominic wins	v Marat	Matchup	Optimal
Wide	47%	73%	72%	72.5%±2.6	60% ▲
Body	5%	61%	64%	61.6%±6.3	0% ▼
T	48%	74%	75%	74.3%±2.6	40% ▼

Optimal v Marat Safin: +0.3±0.4 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +1.5 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serve	Now	Dominic wins	v Marat	Matchup	Optimal
Wide	52%	71%	71%	69.6%±2.7	65% ▲
Body	7%	64%	65%	65.9%±6.2	0% ▼
T	40%	71%	73%	72.5%±2.9	35% ▼

Optimal v Marat Safin: +0.3±0.4 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +2.0 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.

Marat Safin returning

1st serve to the forehand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Dominic	Value
FH through the middle	45%	+4.3	−1.5	−1.2	+1.5±1.3
FH down the line	22%	+1.7	+1.4	−1.3	+1.7±2.5
FH crosscourt	22%	+5.5	−2.1	−1.6	+1.9±2.5
FH slice through the middle	5%	−4.2	+0.7	−1.6	−5.1±2.0
FH slice down the line	2%	−4.3	−0.1	+1.2	−3.1±3.2
BH through the middle	1%	+6.6	−0.1	−1.1	+5.3±1.9

Lean BH through the middle: +4.2±2.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (1806 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Dominic	Value
BH crosscourt	34%	+8.8	−0.6	+0.8	+9.0±1.6
BH through the middle	34%	+6.4	−0.5	−1.1	+4.8±1.3
BH slice through the middle	11%	−4.2	−3.7	−1.9	−9.8±1.7
BH down the line	11%	+4.2	+0.1	−4.4	−0.1±3.3
BH slice crosscourt	6%	+0.5	−5.2	−1.4	−6.1±2.4

Lean BH crosscourt: +6.2±1.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (1839 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Dominic	Value
FH through the middle	47%	−3.5	+1.6	−0.9	−2.8±1.7
FH crosscourt	27%	−0.2	±0.0	−3.1	−3.4±3.3
FH down the line	23%	−1.8	−0.8	−0.8	−3.3±3.5
BH inside-in	2%	+2.5	−2.6	±0.0	−0.1±2.3
BH through the middle	2%	+0.1	+1.0	±0.0	+1.1±1.3

Lean FH through the middle: +0.2±1.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (678 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Dominic	Value
BH crosscourt	49%	+1.0	−0.4	±0.0	+0.6±1.4
BH through the middle	37%	−2.9	−0.6	±0.0	−3.6±1.2
BH down the line	12%	−0.2	+1.7	−0.4	+1.2±3.6
BH slice through the middle	1%	−11.3	−0.4	−2.7	−14.4±2.3
BH slice crosscourt	0%	−4.0	+0.4	−4.1	−7.7±2.1

Lean BH down the line: +2.3±3.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (1511 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

Dominic Thiem returning

1st serve to the forehand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Marat	Value
FH through the middle	51%	+4.3	−1.4	−1.6	+1.2±1.4
FH down the line	22%	+1.7	−1.0	−4.0	−3.4±2.8
FH crosscourt	17%	+5.5	−1.0	−3.1	+1.5±2.9
FH slice through the middle	6%	−4.2	−1.0	+0.6	−4.6±1.9
FH slice down the line	2%	−4.3	−3.2	+0.5	−7.0±3.2

Lean FH crosscourt: +1.9±2.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (2907 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

1st serve to the backhand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Marat	Value
BH through the middle	34%	+6.4	−1.0	−1.7	+3.7±1.3
BH slice through the middle	18%	−4.2	−2.3	+1.0	−5.5±1.4
BH crosscourt	18%	+8.8	−1.5	−3.5	+3.8±2.1
BH slice crosscourt	13%	+0.5	−2.3	±0.0	−1.8±2.0
BH down the line	12%	+4.2	−4.1	−3.0	−2.9±3.3

Lean BH crosscourt: +4.1±1.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (3946 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Marat	Value
FH through the middle	48%	−3.5	−0.5	+0.1	−3.9±1.7
FH crosscourt	29%	−0.2	+0.8	+0.4	+1.0±3.2
FH down the line	19%	−1.8	−0.8	−0.6	−3.1±3.7
FH slice through the middle	2%	−12.7	−0.5	+3.1	−10.1±2.2
FH slice down the line	1%	−9.4	−0.3	+0.6	−9.2±2.6

Lean FH crosscourt: +3.5±2.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (802 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Marat	Value
BH through the middle	32%	−2.9	−1.0	+0.3	−3.6±1.2
BH crosscourt	27%	+1.0	+1.2	−0.5	+1.7±1.7
FH through the middle	13%	−2.9	+0.9	+0.1	−1.9±1.5
FH inside-out	9%	+1.0	+0.2	−0.6	+0.6±2.8
BH down the line	8%	−0.2	−5.1	−2.4	−7.6±4.0
FH inside-in	4%	+0.6	+0.8	+0.4	+1.8±3.7

Lean FH inside-in: +3.9±3.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (2564 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.

Marat Safin

Favour

Shot	Edge	Own	Theirs
BH volley to the middle · rally	+7.6±5.3	+5.4	+2.2
BH to their backhand · serve +1	+1.7±1.3	+0.7	+1.0
BH lob to the middle · rally	+1.1±2.9	−0.1	+1.2
Smash to their backhand · rally	+0.8±4.3	−2.5	+3.3
BH to their backhand · return	+0.4±1.1	−0.4	+0.7
FH to the middle · serve +1	−0.4±1.4	±0.0	−0.4

Avoid

Shot	Edge	Own	Theirs
BH slice to their forehand · rally	−9.0±2.7	−3.8	−5.2
BH volley to their forehand · rally	−7.4±4.2	−6.2	−1.2
BH slice to their backhand · rally	−7.0±1.4	−4.1	−2.9
BH slice to their backhand · return +1	−6.4±2.2	−4.6	−1.8
BH slice to their backhand · return	−5.8±2.3	−4.0	−1.8

Dominic Thiem

Favour

Shot	Edge	Own	Theirs
BH drop shot to their forehand · rally	+11.6±4.8	+7.3	+4.3
BH volley to their forehand · rally	+6.7±5.1	+3.2	+3.5
FH volley to their backhand · serve +1	+5.0±5.1	+2.5	+2.4
FH volley to their forehand · serve +1	+5.0±5.3	+1.6	+3.4
FH slice to their forehand · rally	+3.5±3.6	+2.9	+0.7
FH volley to their backhand · rally	+3.0±5.1	+2.3	+0.7

Avoid

Shot	Edge	Own	Theirs
BH slice to their forehand · return	−9.2±2.8	−5.5	−3.7
BH to their forehand · return	−7.6±2.6	−4.4	−3.2
Smash to their forehand · rally	−4.3±3.9	−1.1	−3.2
FH to their backhand · return	−3.5±1.9	−0.7	−2.7
BH to their backhand · return	−2.6±1.3	−0.2	−2.4

Against Dominic Thiem-like opponents

Marat Safin v	Matches	Serve pts won	Return pts won
All charted opponents	–	65.2%	36.1%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Joao Fonseca, Hubert Hurkacz, Lorenzo Musetti, Alexei Popyrin, Laslo Djere, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Philipp Kohlschreiber. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.