RallyIQ

Game plan

Todd Martin v Guy Forget

Every number combines what Todd Martin does well with what Guy Forget allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Todd Martin wins, best of 3 69%90%: 43%–87% · best of 5: 73%
Serve points won 71.5% / 67.4% Todd / Guy · tour 65.7%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 71%serve 71.5% / 66.7%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Todd Martin's record against Guy Forget's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: ±0.0 on serve, −1.6 on return vs expectation (2063 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

CareerToddGuy
Direction choice+0.03 ±0.11
better than 64%
−0.23 ±0.08
better than 11%
Shot selection+0.31 ±0.16
better than 81%
−0.45 ±0.22
better than 13%
Execution−0.61 ±0.46
better than 40%
+0.22 ±0.56
better than 76%
Points left on the table3.44 ±0.26
lower than 9%
3.94 ±0.22
lower than 4%

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.

Todd Martin serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowTodd winsv GuyMatchupOptimal
Wide42%80%76%82.2%±4.455% ▲
Body10%64%67%67.9%±10.40% ▼
T47%78%82%84.7%±4.445% ▼

Optimal v Guy Forget: +0.9±0.7 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +2.8 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowTodd winsv GuyMatchupOptimal
Wide44%72%81%80.7%±5.657% ▲
Body13%62%69%68.2%±10.20% ▼
T43%71%76%75.1%±5.743%

Optimal v Guy Forget: +0.9±0.9 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving wide every time would read +4.0 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Guy Forget serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowGuy winsv ToddMatchupOptimal
Wide37%78%78%82.5%±5.050% ▲
Body9%59%62%57.6%±11.70% ▼
T54%76%76%77.7%±5.150% ▼

Optimal v Todd Martin: +0.9±0.7 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving wide every time would read +4.9 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowGuy winsv ToddMatchupOptimal
Wide43%74%76%77.6%±5.457% ▲
Body11%69%58%64.5%±11.10% ▼
T46%84%70%82.8%±5.143% ▼

Optimal v Todd Martin: +0.9±0.8 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +4.2 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.

Todd Martin returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv GuyValue
FH through the middle46%+4.3−2.0−3.7−1.4±2.5
FH crosscourt27%+5.5−1.3+0.1+4.4±4.1
FH down the line25%+1.7−2.0−1.5−1.8±4.2
FH slice through the middle1%−4.2+0.1−0.9−5.0±1.6

Lean FH crosscourt: +4.4±3.4 per 100 returns v the current mix (583 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv GuyValue
BH through the middle38%+6.4−2.2−1.2+3.0±2.5
BH crosscourt25%+8.8+2.4+0.3+11.6±3.4
BH down the line16%+4.2+1.7−3.4+2.5±4.6
BH slice crosscourt10%+0.5−1.9+1.2−0.2±3.0
BH slice through the middle9%−4.2−1.3−0.1−5.6±2.4

Lean BH crosscourt: +8.1±2.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (509 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv GuyValue
FH through the middle44%−3.5−1.8−4.1−9.4±2.7
FH crosscourt29%−0.2+3.7−1.3+2.1±4.3
FH down the line27%−1.8+0.9−2.1−3.0±4.7

Lean FH crosscourt: +6.4±3.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (217 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv GuyValue
BH through the middle35%−2.9−1.6+0.6−3.9±2.3
BH crosscourt34%+1.0+1.2+1.1+3.3±3.2
BH down the line21%−0.2−3.4−0.9−4.6±4.8
BH slice crosscourt6%−4.0−1.0+0.6−4.4±2.3
BH slice through the middle3%−11.3±0.0+1.9−9.4±2.1

Lean BH crosscourt: +5.2±2.4 per 100 returns v the current mix (324 returns charted)

Guy Forget returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv ToddValue
FH through the middle49%+4.3−2.0−2.3±0.0±2.7
FH crosscourt27%+5.5+1.5+3.3+10.3±4.2
FH down the line15%+1.7−1.7+1.9+1.8±4.3
FH slice through the middle7%−4.2+0.1−0.6−4.7±1.8
FH slice down the line3%−4.3−0.2±0.0−4.5±1.3

Lean FH crosscourt: +7.8±3.4 per 100 returns v the current mix (196 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv ToddValue
BH through the middle28%+6.4+1.7−3.9+4.2±2.5
BH slice through the middle27%−4.2−2.3−2.3−8.8±2.2
BH down the line22%+4.2+1.5−1.3+4.4±4.4
BH slice down the line10%−8.4+1.0+0.1−7.3±3.4
BH crosscourt7%+8.8−4.2−0.1+4.5±3.5

Lean BH crosscourt: +4.9±3.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (425 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv ToddValue
FH through the middle40%−3.5−2.4+1.3−4.6±2.7
FH crosscourt38%−0.2−5.0−0.8−6.1±4.3
FH down the line23%−1.8−5.8−0.9−8.5±4.6

Lean FH through the middle: +1.5±2.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (106 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv ToddValue
BH through the middle43%−2.9+0.3+1.1−1.4±2.3
BH down the line38%−0.2+2.9−1.0+1.7±4.5
BH crosscourt7%+1.0−2.3+1.9+0.6±3.1
BH slice through the middle4%−11.3+0.2+1.1−9.9±2.1
BH slice down the line4%−9.3−1.4+0.8−9.9±3.6

Lean BH down the line: +2.5±3.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (250 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 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.

Todd Martin

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their backhand · return +1+8.3±5.4+4.7+3.7
FH to their forehand · return+7.2±6.5+9.9−2.7
FH to their backhand · return +1+5.8±5.9−2.9+8.7
BH to their forehand · return +1+3.0±7.4−0.8+3.8
BH to their backhand · return+2.7±4.9+3.9−1.2
BH volley to their backhand · serve +1+0.8±6.8+0.1+0.7

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to the middle · return−8.7±3.6−4.2−4.5
BH to the middle · return +1−8.2±3.4−7.7−0.5
BH to the middle · return−5.1±3.3−1.2−3.9
BH slice to their backhand · return−4.8±4.4−2.0−2.8
FH to their backhand · rally−4.1±3.5−3.9−0.2

Guy Forget

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · return +1+9.8±6.1+5.2+4.7
BH slice to the middle · rally+6.0±2.2+2.3+3.7
FH to their backhand · serve +1+5.3±4.5+0.7+4.7
FH to their backhand · return +1+4.8±6.1+1.9+2.9
FH to their forehand · serve +1+3.1±4.8−0.1+3.2
BH slice to their backhand · rally+2.4±2.4+1.7+0.6

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · return +1−10.0±7.5−5.3−4.7
FH to the middle · return−8.0±3.7−6.2−1.8
BH to the middle · return−6.4±3.3−4.4−1.9
BH to their backhand · rally−6.3±3.2−3.6−2.7
BH slice to the middle · return−6.1±3.3−3.4−2.7

Against Guy Forget-like opponents

Todd Martin vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–65.1%34.0%
Players most similar to Guy Forget9 65.1%31.8%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Tommy Haas, Ivan Ljubicic, Andrei Pavel, Mark Philippoussis, Pete Sampras, Goran Ivanisevic, Boris Becker, Michael Stich, Malivai Washington. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.