RallyIQ

Game plan

Tomas Berdych v Brandon Nakashima

Every number combines what Tomas Berdych does well with what Brandon Nakashima allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Tomas Berdych wins, best of 3 76%90%: 55%–90% · best of 5: 81%
Serve points won 71.4% / 65.4% Tomas / Brandon · tour 65.7%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 76%serve 71.4% / 65.4%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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

CareerTomasBrandon
Direction choice+0.03 ±0.05
better than 65%
−0.01 ±0.07
better than 54%
Shot selection+0.23 ±0.08
better than 74%
−0.11 ±0.14
better than 38%
Execution−0.28 ±0.28
better than 53%
+0.79 ±0.43
better than 91%
Points left on the table2.33 ±0.07
lower than 82%
2.50 ±0.10
lower than 60%

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.

Tomas Berdych serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowTomas winsv BrandonMatchupOptimal
Wide48%77%74%78.1%±3.345% ▼
Body10%62%66%65.3%±8.20% ▼
T42%77%79%80.3%±3.455% ▲

Optimal v Brandon Nakashima: +1.0±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +2.6 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowTomas winsv BrandonMatchupOptimal
Wide43%75%75%77.5%±3.937% ▼
Body7%65%67%69.3%±8.00% ▼
T50%73%74%75.6%±3.763% ▲

Optimal v Brandon Nakashima: +0.3±0.5 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +1.5 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Brandon Nakashima serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowBrandon winsv TomasMatchupOptimal
Wide52%73%76%75.2%±3.444% ▼
Body5%64%68%68.1%±8.50% ▼
T43%78%80%81.9%±3.156% ▲

Optimal v Tomas Berdych: +0.4±0.5 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +4.2 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowBrandon winsv TomasMatchupOptimal
Wide54%72%79%78.2%±3.367% ▲
Body9%69%60%67.0%±8.40% ▼
T37%72%76%76.1%±3.933% ▼

Optimal v Tomas Berdych: +0.9±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving wide every time would read +1.8 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.

Tomas Berdych returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv BrandonValue
FH through the middle49%+4.3+1.8+1.7+7.7±1.8
FH down the line26%+1.7−0.7−1.2−0.2±3.4
FH crosscourt17%+5.5+0.4+3.4+9.3±3.5
FH slice through the middle4%−4.2−0.2−0.4−4.8±2.3
FH slice down the line2%−4.3+1.5+0.5−2.3±3.1

Lean FH crosscourt: +4.2±3.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (1497 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv BrandonValue
BH through the middle38%+6.4−0.3−0.3+5.8±1.8
BH crosscourt21%+8.8+0.4+0.4+9.6±2.6
BH slice through the middle15%−4.2+0.1+0.4−3.6±2.2
BH down the line14%+4.2+2.8−0.3+6.6±3.9
BH slice crosscourt8%+0.5+0.6+2.1+3.3±2.9

Lean BH crosscourt: +5.2±2.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (1553 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv BrandonValue
FH through the middle49%−3.5−0.1−1.0−4.5±2.4
FH crosscourt27%−0.2+1.5+1.5+2.8±4.2
FH down the line24%−1.8+2.1+1.7+2.1±4.7

Lean FH crosscourt: +3.7±3.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (336 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv BrandonValue
BH through the middle40%−2.9+0.5+2.3−0.1±1.7
BH crosscourt34%+1.0±0.0−0.2+0.9±2.4
BH down the line20%−0.2+0.3+1.4+1.6±4.2
BH slice through the middle2%−11.3−2.7−0.3−14.2±1.9
BH slice crosscourt2%−4.0−0.8−0.4−5.2±2.0

Lean BH down the line: +1.4±3.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (992 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

Brandon Nakashima returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv TomasValue
FH through the middle48%+4.3−1.1−0.9+2.2±1.8
FH down the line19%+1.7−1.5−1.9−1.7±3.5
FH slice through the middle14%−4.2+1.0+2.2−0.9±2.0
FH crosscourt11%+5.5+0.6−0.7+5.4±3.9
FH slice down the line4%−4.3+0.9+0.5−2.9±3.2

Lean FH crosscourt: +4.4±3.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (771 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv TomasValue
BH through the middle38%+6.4+0.2−1.9+4.7±2.0
BH crosscourt29%+8.8+1.2+0.4+10.4±2.9
BH slice through the middle12%−4.2+0.1+0.7−3.3±2.1
BH down the line10%+4.2−1.3−1.5+1.4±4.4
BH slice crosscourt8%+0.5−3.1+1.4−1.2±2.7

Lean BH crosscourt: +6.3±2.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (648 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv TomasValue
FH through the middle62%−3.5−1.0+1.6−2.9±2.2
FH crosscourt21%−0.2+3.2+1.0+4.0±4.1
FH down the line17%−1.8−0.7+1.7−0.8±4.2

Lean FH crosscourt: +5.1±3.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (228 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv TomasValue
BH through the middle50%−2.9−0.6−0.1−3.6±1.7
BH crosscourt34%+1.0+1.9+0.5+3.5±2.4
BH down the line11%−0.2+0.7+1.3+1.8±4.5
BH slice through the middle4%−11.3−1.2−0.2−12.7±2.1
BH slice crosscourt2%−4.0−0.1−0.3−4.4±1.9

Lean BH crosscourt: +4.4±1.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (387 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.

Tomas Berdych

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to the middle · return+6.7±2.9+3.8+2.9
FH to their forehand · return+5.7±5.9−1.3+7.0
FH to their forehand · serve +1+4.7±4.7−1.4+6.1
BH to their forehand · return+4.4±5.8+3.3+1.0
BH to their backhand · rally+4.4±3.3+1.0+3.3
FH to the middle · return +1+3.9±3.8+1.9+2.0

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · return +1−6.2±6.8−2.5−3.8
FH volley to their backhand · rally−5.4±7.6+0.6−6.0
BH slice to their forehand · rally−5.0±4.7−6.1+1.2
BH to their forehand · rally−4.3±5.2−2.7−1.5
FH to their backhand · rally−3.7±3.8−1.8−1.9

Brandon Nakashima

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · serve +1+10.9±4.5+5.5+5.4
BH volley to their backhand · rally+6.5±6.9+0.6+5.9
FH to the middle · return +1+5.6±3.8+5.2+0.4
FH to their backhand · serve +1+5.2±4.2+5.8−0.6
FH to their forehand · return+4.9±6.1+1.0+3.9
FH to their forehand · rally+4.3±3.6+2.7+1.5

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · return−6.2±5.4−4.8−1.4
BH volley to their forehand · rally−5.0±8.4−2.2−2.8
BH to their forehand · return−3.0±6.2+0.1−3.1
BH to their forehand · rally−3.0±5.3−4.3+1.2
FH volley to their forehand · rally−2.7±7.0−4.3+1.5

Against Brandon Nakashima-like opponents

Tomas Berdych vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–63.7%31.7%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Casper Ruud, Karen Khachanov, Marcos Giron, Jaume Munar, Roberto Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreno Busta, Taylor Fritz, Rinky Hijikata, Gregoire Barrere, Tennys Sandgren. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.