ATP · Left-handed · 3 charted matches · 1991–1996
Alexander Volkov
Against an average opponent
Serve and return points won, refitted against every opponent at once so a record built on weak or strong opposition is put on the same scale. Career, all surfaces, with a 90% margin. Raw is the plain share of points won.
Serve under pressure
Deuce court
| 1st serve | Usage | Break pt | Won when in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 38% | 67% ▲ | 76% / 73% |
| Body | 12% | 11% | 68% / 63% |
| T | 50% | 22% ▼ | 68% / 75% |
163 normal · 9 break-point 1st serves
Ad court
| 1st serve | Usage | Break pt | Won when in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 44% | 68% ▲ | 69% / 73% |
| Body | 16% | 14% | 64% / 63% |
| T | 40% | 18% ▼ | 76% / 72% |
131 normal · 28 break-point 1st serves
Is the serve mix in equilibrium?
Game theory says a well-mixed server wins equally often with every direction they use. If one direction wins more, it's underused and points are being left behind. This is the minimax test Walker and Wooders ran on Wimbledon finals, applied to every charted first serve. Win rates include faults. "Optimal" allows for returners reading a habit. No measurable response (−0.05 ± 0.15 points per 100 serves for every 10 points of habitual usage), measured from ATP servers whose mix drifted between matches. Shifts stay within the range servers' habits actually vary, the only range that response was measured over.
Deuce court
| 1st serve | Usage | Points won |
|---|---|---|
| Wide | 40% | 55.5%±8.3 n=68 |
| Body | 12% | 59.1%±11.3 n=21 |
| T | 48% | 58.7%±7.6 n=83 |
Consistent with an optimal mix (p = 0.80).
Ad court
| 1st serve | Usage | Points won |
|---|---|---|
| Wide | 48% | 61.3%±7.7 n=77 |
| Body | 16% | 56.9%±11.0 n=25 |
| T | 36% | 63.3%±8.5 n=57 |
Consistent with an optimal mix (p = 0.56).
Repeating the previous direction to the same court: −6.6±3.1 points per 100 against switching. Negative means returners read repeats. Tour-wide, repeating costs women about 0.4 points per 100 and costs men nothing, so men's returners don't measurably anticipate direction. (133 repeats, 192 switches.)
Return by serve direction
Return points won against each serve direction, compared with the tour average.
| Serve | Court | Direction | Points | Won | vs tour | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ad court | Body | 1 | 36% | −1.2±14.2 | |
| 1st | Ad court | T | 41 | 27% | −0.7±8.7 | |
| 1st | Ad court | Wide | 48 | 27% | −0.1±8.3 | |
| 1st | Deuce court | Body | 2 | 38% | +0.8±14.1 | |
| 1st | Deuce court | T | 48 | 25% | ±0.0±8.1 | |
| 1st | Deuce court | Wide | 32 | 26% | −1.1±9.2 | |
| 2nd | Ad court | Body | 13 | 48% | −1.0±12.5 | |
| 2nd | Ad court | T | 21 | 45% | −4.6±11.5 | |
| 2nd | Ad court | Wide | 16 | 45% | −3.8±12.1 | |
| 2nd | Deuce court | Body | 9 | 48% | −1.1±13.2 | |
| 2nd | Deuce court | T | 38 | 51% | +1.6±10.0 | |
| 2nd | Deuce court | Wide | 25 | 48% | ±0.0±11.1 |