RallyIQ

Game plan

Mikhail Youzhny v Daniel Altmaier

Every number combines what Mikhail Youzhny does well with what Daniel Altmaier allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Mikhail Youzhny wins, best of 3 69%90%: 36%–91% · best of 5: 73%
Serve points won 68.0% / 64.0% Mikhail / Daniel · tour 65.7%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 69%serve 68.0% / 64.0%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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

CareerMikhailDaniel
Direction choice+0.03 ±0.06
better than 67%
−0.17 ±0.12
better than 18%
Shot selection−1.03 ±0.16
better than 1%
−0.98 ±0.22
better than 3%
Execution+0.33 ±0.37
better than 79%
+0.23 ±0.64
better than 77%
Points left on the table2.57 ±0.10
lower than 52%
3.13 ±0.20
lower than 14%

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.

Mikhail Youzhny serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowMikhail winsv DanielMatchupOptimal
Wide43%71%76%74.3%±5.156% ▲
Body5%53%68%58.2%±13.10% ▼
T52%69%77%71.4%±5.744% ▼

Optimal v Daniel Altmaier: +0.8±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving wide every time would read +2.3 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowMikhail winsv DanielMatchupOptimal
Wide60%67%78%72.8%±5.651% ▼
Body5%62%60%58.9%±13.20% ▼
T36%69%75%72.1%±5.849% ▲

Optimal v Daniel Altmaier: +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.

Daniel Altmaier serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowDaniel winsv MikhailMatchupOptimal
Wide44%69%70%65.7%±5.834% ▼
Body3%60%70%67.7%±13.00% ▼
T53%75%79%79.0%±4.666% ▲

Optimal v Mikhail Youzhny: +0.2±0.7 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +6.3 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowDaniel winsv MikhailMatchupOptimal
Wide57%71%75%73.7%±5.170% ▲
Body4%62%60%59.2%±14.40% ▼
T39%67%71%66.2%±6.330% ▼

Optimal v Mikhail Youzhny: +0.2±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +3.5 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.

Mikhail Youzhny returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DanielValue
FH through the middle44%+4.3+0.5+0.7+5.4±2.3
FH down the line25%+1.7+3.6+1.2+6.5±4.1
FH crosscourt18%+5.5−1.7+1.8+5.5±4.1
FH slice through the middle7%−4.2+0.9+1.7−1.6±2.3
FH slice down the line4%−4.3+1.1+1.5−1.7±2.8

Lean FH down the line: +1.7±3.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (741 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DanielValue
BH slice through the middle43%−4.2+2.6±0.0−1.6±2.1
BH slice crosscourt28%+0.5+2.0−0.2+2.3±2.7
BH slice down the line10%−8.4−1.0−2.1−11.5±3.0
BH through the middle9%+6.4−4.3+1.4+3.5±2.6
BH down the line5%+4.2−6.0+2.8+1.1±4.6
BH crosscourt4%+8.8−2.6−0.1+6.1±3.4

Lean BH crosscourt: +6.7±3.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (778 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DanielValue
FH through the middle42%−3.5+2.1+0.4−0.9±2.8
FH down the line40%−1.8−0.6−0.9−3.3±4.7
FH crosscourt19%−0.2−1.4+0.7−0.9±4.4

Lean FH crosscourt: +0.9±4.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (187 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DanielValue
BH slice crosscourt26%−4.0+0.4−0.4−4.0±1.9
BH through the middle23%−2.9−1.0+1.2−2.7±2.2
BH crosscourt19%+1.0−0.9+1.2+1.3±3.0
BH down the line14%−0.2+0.1−1.6−1.6±4.9
BH slice through the middle10%−11.3−0.1+0.1−11.2±2.0

Lean BH crosscourt: +4.3±2.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (674 returns charted)

Daniel Altmaier returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MikhailValue
FH through the middle31%+4.3+1.2+0.9+6.3±2.4
FH slice through the middle31%−4.2−0.3+0.8−3.7±2.2
FH slice down the line15%−4.3+0.8−1.8−5.2±3.0
FH down the line12%+1.7−3.3−1.5−3.0±4.1
FH crosscourt7%+5.5−4.2−1.4−0.1±4.1

Lean FH through the middle: +6.9±2.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (398 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MikhailValue
BH slice through the middle43%−4.2+1.5+3.4+0.7±2.1
BH slice crosscourt24%+0.5−1.6+2.2+1.2±2.9
BH through the middle12%+6.4+0.1+2.3+8.8±2.4
BH slice down the line8%−8.4+0.3+1.0−7.0±3.4
BH crosscourt8%+8.8−2.8−0.8+5.2±3.2
BH down the line5%+4.2+2.5+3.6+10.3±4.3

Lean BH down the line: +8.3±4.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (327 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MikhailValue
FH through the middle52%−3.5−0.3+0.5−3.3±2.7
FH down the line23%−1.8+1.2−1.7−2.3±4.6
FH crosscourt19%−0.2−0.2+0.8+0.4±4.1
FH slice through the middle6%−12.7+0.9+0.8−11.0±1.7

Lean FH crosscourt: +3.2±3.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (114 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MikhailValue
BH through the middle40%−2.9+0.9+1.0−1.0±2.1
BH crosscourt25%+1.0+0.1+0.4+1.5±2.9
BH down the line13%−0.2−1.2−2.8−4.2±4.7
FH through the middle9%−2.9−0.3+0.5−2.7±2.2
FH inside-out7%+1.0−0.1−1.7−0.8±3.5

Lean BH crosscourt: +2.7±2.4 per 100 returns v the current mix (257 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 grass. Each player's grass record is shrunk toward their all-surface one, so a thin sample on it moves the numbers only a little.

Mikhail Youzhny

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to the middle · return+6.0±3.6+2.8+3.2
FH to their forehand · return +1+3.7±5.8+2.6+1.1
FH to their forehand · return+3.2±5.9±0.0+3.2
BH to their backhand · return +1+2.9±5.0−0.3+3.2
FH to the middle · serve +1+2.4±3.1+3.7−1.4
FH to the middle · rally+2.2±3.1+2.8−0.5

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to the middle · return−4.2±3.3−5.6+1.4
BH to the middle · rally−4.1±2.9−3.0−1.0
BH to their backhand · rally−3.9±3.8−2.6−1.3
FH to the middle · return +1−3.9±3.4−2.1−1.8
FH to their backhand · serve +1−3.6±4.8+1.1−4.7

Daniel Altmaier

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH slice to the middle · return+6.7±3.3+2.4+4.2
BH slice to their backhand · return+4.2±4.1−2.1+6.3
BH to the middle · return+4.1±2.7−1.0+5.0
FH to the middle · return +1+3.2±3.4+0.3+2.8
FH slice to the middle · return+2.8±2.8+1.9+0.9
BH to the middle · return +1+2.7±3.0+0.8+1.8

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · return−4.8±4.7−3.6−1.2
BH to their forehand · rally−4.4±4.6−2.7−1.7
BH to their backhand · rally−4.3±3.7−1.9−2.4
BH to their backhand · return +1−3.9±4.2−0.9−3.0
BH slice to their backhand · rally−3.1±3.4+0.1−3.1

Against Daniel Altmaier-like opponents

Mikhail Youzhny vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–61.1%34.7%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Jiri Lehecka, Jakub Mensik, Karen Khachanov, Laslo Djere, Benjamin Bonzi, Robin Haase, Filip Krajinovic, Denis Istomin, Denis Kudla. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.