RallyIQ

Game plan

Pablo Carreno Busta v Nishesh Basavareddy

Every number combines what Pablo Carreno Busta does well with what Nishesh Basavareddy allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Pablo Carreno Busta wins, best of 3 38%90%: 14%–68% · best of 5: 35%
Serve points won 62.5% / 65.0% Pablo / Nishesh · tour 63.4%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 36%serve 62.1% / 65.0%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Pablo Carreno Busta's record against Nishesh Basavareddy's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: +1.9 on serve, ±0.0 on return vs expectation (666 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

CareerPabloNishesh
Direction choice−0.01 ±0.09
better than 54%
+0.26 ±0.08
better than 97%
Shot selection−0.04 ±0.12
better than 48%
+0.26 ±0.11
better than 77%
Execution+0.75 ±0.44
better than 90%
+0.46 ±0.64
better than 83%
Points left on the table2.31 ±0.13
lower than 82%
2.06 ±0.10
lower than 98%

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: Pablo Carreno Busta +1.08, Nishesh Basavareddy +2.23. 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.

Pablo Carreno Busta serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowPablo winsv NisheshMatchupOptimal
Wide48%70%72%69.5%±6.061% ▲
Body19%65%61%62.6%±8.820%
T32%68%69%61.2%±7.619% ▼

Optimal v Nishesh Basavareddy: +0.5±0.8 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +4.0 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowPablo winsv NisheshMatchupOptimal
Wide48%71%74%71.9%±6.161% ▲
Body14%66%61%64.1%±9.811% ▼
T38%66%72%65.4%±7.028% ▼

Optimal v Nishesh Basavareddy: +0.2±0.7 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +3.6 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Nishesh Basavareddy serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowNishesh winsv PabloMatchupOptimal
Wide53%76%77%79.2%±4.866% ▲
Body10%69%62%68.0%±11.00% ▼
T37%78%78%81.0%±5.634% ▼

Optimal v Pablo Carreno Busta: +0.9±0.7 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +2.3 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowNishesh winsv PabloMatchupOptimal
Wide50%76%75%78.1%±5.563% ▲
Body8%60%62%59.1%±12.40% ▼
T42%72%74%74.9%±6.137% ▼

Optimal v Pablo Carreno Busta: +0.7±0.7 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +2.9 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.

Pablo Carreno Busta returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv NisheshValue
FH through the middle40%+4.3+1.3−0.9+4.6±2.4
FH slice through the middle20%−4.2−0.3+0.4−4.1±2.2
FH crosscourt18%+5.5+0.9+2.8+9.2±4.3
FH down the line11%+1.7+2.0−2.5+1.2±4.5
FH slice down the line5%−4.3+0.8+0.2−3.3±2.9

Lean FH crosscourt: +6.7±3.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (638 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv NisheshValue
BH through the middle40%+6.4+1.6+1.1+9.1±2.3
BH crosscourt25%+8.8−0.1+1.4+10.2±3.3
BH slice through the middle18%−4.2−1.1+1.5−3.9±2.4
BH down the line8%+4.2+3.0−1.0+6.2±4.6
BH slice crosscourt6%+0.5−2.3−2.0−3.7±2.9

Lean BH crosscourt: +4.7±2.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (665 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv NisheshValue
FH through the middle51%−3.5+0.7+1.0−1.7±2.8
FH crosscourt29%−0.2−1.4+2.2+0.6±4.3
FH down the line19%−1.8−0.1−3.2−5.1±4.7

Lean FH crosscourt: +2.3±3.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (195 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv NisheshValue
BH crosscourt40%+1.0−1.7−0.5−1.2±3.0
BH through the middle36%−2.9+0.2−0.2−2.9±2.2
BH down the line12%−0.2+3.3−3.2−0.1±5.0
FH through the middle7%−2.9−1.3+1.0−3.2±2.4
FH inside-out3%+1.0−0.5−3.2−2.7±3.4

Lean BH down the line: +1.8±4.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (495 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

Nishesh Basavareddy returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv PabloValue
FH through the middle44%+4.3−0.9+1.7+5.0±2.4
FH crosscourt31%+5.5+1.5−1.9+5.1±4.0
FH down the line10%+1.7−3.5+0.4−1.4±4.1
FH slice through the middle6%−4.2+0.4−0.3−4.2±2.2
FH slice crosscourt5%−4.3−2.9+1.4−5.8±2.5

Lean FH crosscourt: +2.3±3.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (262 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv PabloValue
BH crosscourt31%+8.8−0.7+1.6+9.8±3.2
BH through the middle27%+6.4+2.0−0.3+8.1±2.4
BH slice through the middle18%−4.2+1.6+1.4−1.2±2.4
BH slice crosscourt12%+0.5−2.5±0.0−2.0±3.0
BH slice down the line8%−8.4−0.4+0.1−8.7±2.9

Lean BH crosscourt: +5.5±2.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (253 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv PabloValue
FH crosscourt52%−0.2+1.1+3.3+4.2±4.3
FH through the middle35%−3.5+0.5+0.7−2.3±2.6
FH down the line7%−1.8+0.8−0.1−1.0±3.9
FH slice through the middle6%−12.7−0.3−0.4−13.3±1.6

Lean FH crosscourt: +3.7±2.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (86 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv PabloValue
BH crosscourt58%+1.0+2.9+1.3+5.2±2.9
BH through the middle35%−2.9−1.0+0.6−3.3±2.2
BH down the line7%−0.2−3.2−1.4−4.8±4.2

Lean BH crosscourt: +3.7±1.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (113 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.

Pablo Carreno Busta

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · rally+4.0±3.0+1.6+2.4
FH to their forehand · return+3.9±4.1+0.3+3.6
BH to the middle · return +1+2.9±2.3+2.2+0.7
FH to the middle · serve +1+2.6±2.4+1.1+1.5
FH to their backhand · return +1+2.6±3.7+2.6±0.0
FH to the middle · rally+2.6±1.7+1.5+1.0

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · return−3.5±3.6±0.0−3.5
BH to their forehand · return−2.5±4.1+1.0−3.5
BH to their forehand · serve +1−1.9±4.5−0.1−1.8
FH to their forehand · return +1−1.0±3.6−0.1−0.8
BH to their backhand · serve +1−0.9±2.8+0.1−0.9

Nishesh Basavareddy

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · return +1+8.0±4.8+3.9+4.1
BH to their forehand · rally+5.7±3.3+3.1+2.6
BH to their backhand · serve +1+5.2±2.6+3.4+1.8
FH to their forehand · rally+3.6±2.0+1.9+1.7
FH to the middle · rally+3.5±1.8+2.8+0.7
FH to their backhand · rally+3.3±2.1+1.0+2.2

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · serve +1−3.4±3.0−2.3−1.1
BH slice to their backhand · rally−2.3±2.2−1.5−0.7
FH to their backhand · return−0.6±3.7−1.2+0.6
FH to their forehand · return +1+0.1±3.6−0.4+0.5
BH to their forehand · serve +1+0.2±4.6+1.8−1.6

Against Nishesh Basavareddy-like opponents

Pablo Carreno Busta vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–62.2%34.8%
Players most similar to Nishesh Basavareddy5 60.6%32.9%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Daniil Medvedev, Frances Tiafoe, Novak Djokovic, Luca Nardi, Richard Gasquet, Karue Sell, Gregoire Barrere, Andy Murray, David Nalbandian, Andre Agassi. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.