RallyIQ

Game plan

Mikael Ymer v Daniil Medvedev

Every number combines what Mikael Ymer does well with what Daniil Medvedev allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Mikael Ymer wins, best of 3 11%90%: 4%–23% · best of 5: 6%
Serve points won 53.8% / 63.1% Mikael / Daniil · tour 63.8%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 12%serve 54.6% / 63.6%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Mikael Ymer's record against Daniil Medvedev's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: −9.7 on serve, +5.4 on return vs expectation (274 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

CareerMikaelDaniil
Direction choice−0.40 ±0.13
better than 2%
+0.01 ±0.04
better than 58%
Shot selection−0.49 ±0.18
better than 11%
−0.06 ±0.04
better than 46%
Execution+0.37 ±0.81
better than 82%
+1.24 ±0.16
better than 98%
Points left on the table2.60 ±0.23
lower than 49%
2.31 ±0.06
lower than 84%

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.

Mikael Ymer serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowMikael winsv DaniilMatchupOptimal
Wide42%67%69%63.0%±5.555% ▲
Body26%65%58%60.3%±7.113% ▼
T33%66%71%60.8%±6.632%

Optimal v Daniil Medvedev: +0.3±0.7 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +1.4 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowMikael winsv DaniilMatchupOptimal
Wide40%69%69%65.0%±6.041%
Body30%58%58%53.3%±7.417% ▼
T29%68%70%65.6%±6.442% ▲

Optimal v Daniil Medvedev: +0.8±0.8 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +4.0 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Daniil Medvedev serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowDaniil winsv MikaelMatchupOptimal
Wide49%74%74%75.3%±4.862% ▲
Body4%63%63%63.2%±9.70% ▼
T46%78%66%69.7%±5.338% ▼

Optimal v Mikael Ymer: +0.8±0.5 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving wide every time would read +3.1 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowDaniil winsv MikaelMatchupOptimal
Wide49%78%73%77.6%±5.140% ▼
Body5%60%60%57.4%±11.00% ▼
T47%74%66%68.2%±5.460% ▲

Optimal v Mikael Ymer: +0.4±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +5.3 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.

Mikael Ymer returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DaniilValue
FH through the middle33%+4.3+1.2+1.6+7.0±2.2
FH slice through the middle31%−4.2−0.5+1.1−3.6±1.8
FH down the line15%+1.7+0.5−0.7+1.4±3.5
FH crosscourt11%+5.5−2.3±0.0+3.3±3.3
FH slice down the line6%−4.3−0.7−0.7−5.7±2.6

Lean FH through the middle: +5.8±1.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (262 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DaniilValue
BH through the middle46%+6.4+0.9+2.0+9.3±2.1
BH crosscourt24%+8.8−0.1+1.0+9.7±2.8
BH slice through the middle11%−4.2−1.5−0.6−6.3±1.8
BH down the line9%+4.2+1.6+1.1+6.9±3.5
BH slice crosscourt5%+0.5+0.6−2.6−1.5±2.0

Lean BH crosscourt: +3.9±2.4 per 100 returns v the current mix (194 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DaniilValue
FH through the middle44%−3.5−2.2+1.1−4.6±2.1
FH slice through the middle24%−12.7+0.8±0.0−11.8±2.2
FH down the line17%−1.8−1.7−0.3−3.8±3.2
FH slice down the line14%−9.4+0.2−1.8−11.0±2.8

Lean FH through the middle: +2.5±1.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (70 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DaniilValue
BH through the middle48%−2.9+1.7+0.4−0.8±1.9
BH crosscourt45%+1.0−0.8+0.6+0.9±2.5
BH down the line7%−0.2−3.7+1.6−2.3±3.2

Lean BH crosscourt: +1.0±1.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (106 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

Daniil Medvedev returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MikaelValue
FH through the middle47%+4.3+1.4+2.0+7.6±1.9
FH crosscourt22%+5.5+3.4−0.3+8.6±3.3
FH down the line15%+1.7−0.5+0.7+1.8±3.4
FH slice through the middle10%−4.2−1.1−0.7−6.0±1.8
FH slice down the line4%−4.3−0.1−0.9−5.3±2.4

Lean FH crosscourt: +3.9±2.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (5958 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MikaelValue
BH through the middle48%+6.4+3.1+0.5+10.0±1.8
BH crosscourt25%+8.8+2.4+2.6+13.9±2.7
BH down the line10%+4.2+1.6−0.7+5.1±3.6
BH slice through the middle9%−4.2−1.9−2.2−8.3±2.1
BH slice crosscourt4%+0.5−4.5−1.5−5.5±2.5

Lean BH crosscourt: +6.5±2.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (4981 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MikaelValue
FH through the middle50%−3.5+1.6±0.0−1.9±2.1
FH crosscourt27%−0.2−1.0±0.0−1.2±3.7
FH down the line17%−1.8+1.7−1.1−1.2±4.1
FH slice through the middle2%−12.7−0.8±0.0−13.5±1.7
BH through the middle2%+0.1+1.2+0.4+1.7±2.0

Lean BH through the middle: +3.6±2.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (1558 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MikaelValue
BH through the middle51%−2.9+2.9+0.4+0.4±1.9
BH crosscourt38%+1.0+1.9−1.9+1.0±2.5
BH down the line9%−0.2+1.2−1.0±0.0±3.8
FH through the middle1%−2.9−1.0±0.0−3.9±2.3
FH inside-in1%+0.6−2.8±0.0−2.2±4.2

Lean BH crosscourt: +0.5±1.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (2951 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.

Mikael Ymer

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their backhand · serve +1+4.9±2.7+3.4+1.5
FH to the middle · rally+4.3±1.5+2.7+1.6
BH to the middle · serve +1+3.9±2.5+2.2+1.7
BH to the middle · return +1+3.9±2.7+2.8+1.1
FH to the middle · return +1+3.8±3.0+3.3+0.6
FH to the middle · return+3.5±2.7+2.1+1.4

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · serve +1−6.2±3.7−5.9−0.2
FH to their backhand · return−3.7±4.6−3.7±0.0
FH to their forehand · serve +1−0.6±4.2−0.3−0.3
FH to the middle · serve +1−0.5±2.8−2.3+1.8
FH to their backhand · rally−0.2±2.6+0.1−0.2

Daniil Medvedev

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to the middle · return+6.8±2.1+3.0+3.8
FH to the middle · return +1+5.4±3.0+2.3+3.1
BH to their backhand · return+5.4±3.3+1.7+3.7
FH to their forehand · return +1+4.8±4.3+2.8+2.1
BH to the middle · serve +1+4.1±2.9+1.0+3.1
BH to the middle · return +1+3.9±2.4+2.3+1.7

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · serve +1−6.9±3.5−2.4−4.6
FH to their forehand · serve +1−2.4±3.7−1.4−1.0
BH slice to their backhand · rally−1.4±2.7−2.9+1.5
BH slice to the middle · rally−1.1±2.5−2.7+1.6
FH to their backhand · return +1−0.7±4.4+0.1−0.8

Against Daniil Medvedev-like opponents

Mikael Ymer vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–60.7%38.9%
Players most similar to Daniil Medvedev1 49.3%46.0%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic, Jenson Brooksby, Karen Khachanov, Taylor Fritz, Miomir Kecmanovic, Richard Gasquet, Andy Murray, John Millman, Gilles Simon. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.