ATP · Right-handed · 155 charted matches · 1985–1999
Boris Becker
Archetype: Serve-and-volleyer · Net rusher
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.
Value per 100 shots
Points gained per 100 shots compared with an average tour player in the same position, adjusted for the strength of the opponents faced, with a 90% margin (shots clustered by match). Raw is before the opponent adjustment. Built on 65,764 shots.
Shot expected value
The share of points Boris Becker goes on to win after each option in the positions they face most often, shrunk toward tour average when the sample is small. Showing the 8 most-used options; teal marks the best one with at least 30 shots.
Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your backhand side
position worth 46% to the average player · 2,628 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| BH slice crosscourt | 23% | 43.2%±3.3 | 42.5% |
| BH crosscourt | 18% | 45.6%±3.7 | 47.6% |
| BH down the line | 15% | 41.9%±4.0 | 46.4% |
| BH through the middle | 14% | 44.2%±4.1 | 43.7% |
| BH slice through the middle | 9% | 42.3%±5.1 | 35.1% |
| FH inside-out | 7% | 48.9%±5.9 | 51.8% |
| BH slice down the line | 4% | 38.6%±7.1 | 37.1% |
| BH slice crosscourt + approach | 2% | 48.1%±10.6 | 54.2% |
Return +1: drive to your backhand side
position worth 44% to the average player · 1,590 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| BH slice crosscourt | 22% | 40.6%±4.2 | 40.9% |
| BH crosscourt | 19% | 47.2%±4.6 | 46.9% |
| BH through the middle | 17% | 43.9%±4.8 | 43.0% |
| BH down the line | 17% | 36.6%±4.7 | 44.2% |
| BH slice through the middle | 10% | 41.2%±6.1 | 32.6% |
| BH slice down the line | 4% | 35.6%±8.3 | 33.3% |
| FH inside-out | 3% | 44.3%±10.2 | 51.7% |
| BH slice crosscourt + approach | 2% | 36.9%±11.0 | 45.9% |
Long rally, 9+: drive to your backhand side
position worth 46% to the average player · 1,418 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| BH slice crosscourt | 27% | 49.1%±4.1 | 42.1% |
| BH crosscourt | 18% | 53.4%±5.0 | 48.0% |
| BH down the line | 15% | 48.4%±5.4 | 46.5% |
| BH through the middle | 11% | 47.3%±6.2 | 43.8% |
| BH slice through the middle | 9% | 39.1%±6.5 | 35.1% |
| BH slice down the line | 7% | 36.3%±7.2 | 35.8% |
| FH inside-out | 4% | 54.5%±9.3 | 52.6% |
| FH inside-in | 2% | 55.0%±11.9 | 54.3% |
Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your middle
position worth 51% to the average player · 1,407 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| FH crosscourt | 18% | 47.1%±4.9 | 52.7% |
| FH down the line | 17% | 49.7%±5.1 | 51.5% |
| BH through the middle | 10% | 45.1%±6.6 | 46.8% |
| FH through the middle | 9% | 49.3%±6.6 | 47.0% |
| BH crosscourt | 8% | 43.6%±7.0 | 49.1% |
| BH slice crosscourt | 7% | 48.6%±7.7 | 47.0% |
| BH down the line | 6% | 51.1%±7.9 | 48.3% |
| FH down the line + approach | 6% | 67.4%±7.7 | 70.5% |
Serve under pressure
Pressure predictability index ±0 How much less varied Boris Becker's first-serve direction gets on break points. Positive means easier to read. Based on 1118 break-point first serves.
Deuce court
| 1st serve | Usage | Break pt | Won when in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 41% | 40% | 78% / 73% |
| Body | 9% | 10% | 70% / 63% |
| T | 49% | 50% | 81% / 75% |
7,788 normal · 264 break-point 1st serves
Ad court
| 1st serve | Usage | Break pt | Won when in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 48% | 53% | 78% / 73% |
| Body | 12% | 12% | 71% / 63% |
| T | 40% | 35% | 75% / 72% |
6,494 normal · 854 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 | Optimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 41% | 67.4%±1.3 n=3,315 | 54% ▲ |
| Body | 9% | 65.1%±2.8 n=749 | 0% ▼ |
| T | 50% | 66.4%±1.2 n=3,988 | 46% ▼ |
Consistent with an optimal mix (p = 0.36).
Optimal mix: +0.4 per 100 first serves.
Ad court
| 1st serve | Usage | Points won | Optimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 49% | 65.5%±1.3 n=3,588 | 62% ▲ |
| Body | 12% | 63.2%±2.6 n=876 | 0% ▼ |
| T | 39% | 64.2%±1.5 n=2,884 | 38% ▼ |
Consistent with an optimal mix (p = 0.31).
Optimal mix: +0.3 per 100 first serves.
Exploitability 0.37 points per 100 first serves What the optimal mix would win over the current one, both courts. More exploitable than 100% of ATP servers. Tested on matches they weren't fitted on, ATP mixes picked this way win 0.33 per 100 first serves on average.
Repeating the previous direction to the same court: +0.7±1.5 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. (6,092 repeats, 9,000 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 | 610 | 39% | +1.9±3.2 | |
| 1st | Ad court | T | 1,458 | 29% | +0.6±1.9 | |
| 1st | Ad court | Wide | 2,354 | 30% | +2.6±1.5 | |
| 1st | Deuce court | Body | 839 | 34% | −2.3±2.7 | |
| 1st | Deuce court | T | 2,238 | 28% | +2.6±1.5 | |
| 1st | Deuce court | Wide | 1,842 | 27% | −0.7±1.7 | |
| 2nd | Ad court | Body | 965 | 47% | −2.8±2.6 | |
| 2nd | Ad court | T | 364 | 51% | +1.9±4.1 | |
| 2nd | Ad court | Wide | 1,697 | 48% | −0.3±2.0 | |
| 2nd | Deuce court | Body | 1,329 | 47% | −1.8±2.2 | |
| 2nd | Deuce court | T | 1,297 | 51% | +1.5±2.3 | |
| 2nd | Deuce court | Wide | 575 | 49% | +1.1±3.3 |
Signature patterns
Recurring sequences that win more than Boris Becker's own baseline, ranked by edge weighted by how often they're used.
Serve → +1
- Wide serve (deuce court) → BH volley crosscourt used 2.3% · won 72% · +2.1±3.9 vs own baseline
- Wide serve (deuce court) → FH volley down the line used 2.2% · won 69% · −1.6±4.1 vs own baseline
- T serve (deuce court) → FH volley down the line used 2.1% · won 64% · −6.4±4.3 vs own baseline
- T serve (deuce court) → BH volley crosscourt used 2.1% · won 63% · −6.6±4.4 vs own baseline
- Wide serve (ad court) → BH volley down the line used 2.1% · won 60% · −9.6±4.4 vs own baseline
Return
- vs wide serve (ad court) → BH crosscourt, mid used 2.1% · won 50% · +12.3±4.6 vs own baseline
- vs wide serve (ad court) → BH slice crosscourt, mid used 3.1% · won 44% · +6.6±3.8 vs own baseline
- vs wide serve (ad court) → BH through the middle, mid used 2.5% · won 43% · +5.7±4.2 vs own baseline
- vs T serve (deuce court) → BH through the middle used 2.4% · won 24% · −13.7±3.7 vs own baseline
- vs wide serve (ad court) → BH through the middle used 2.3% · won 19% · −18.4±3.5 vs own baseline
Rally, consecutive own shots
- BH crosscourt → FH crosscourt used 2.2% · won 57% · +9.5±5.4 vs own baseline
- FH down the line → FH crosscourt used 1.1% · won 57% · +9.4±7.1 vs own baseline
- BH crosscourt → FH inside-out used 1.0% · won 55% · +8.0±7.4 vs own baseline
- FH down the line → BH crosscourt used 1.1% · won 54% · +6.8±7.2 vs own baseline
- BH down the line → FH down the line used 1.8% · won 51% · +4.3±6.0 vs own baseline
Discovered sequences
Mined from every me → opponent → me run of three shots, with no templates. Ranked by how much more often Boris Becker wins the point once the sequence happens, weighted by how often it happens. Think of them as chess openings.
- Wide serve → FH through the middle return, mid → BH volley crosscourt used 0.3% · won 72% · +22.0±7.6 vs own baseline · +6.6 vs tour on the same sequence Disrupted by Ivan Lendl (6/8), Stefan Edberg (22/28)
- FH volley down the line → BH down the line → FH volley crosscourt used 0.2% · won 76% · +25.9±8.2 vs own baseline · +8.5 vs tour on the same sequence Disrupted by Stefan Edberg (13/16), Ivan Lendl (9/10)
- FH volley down the line → BH lob through the middle → Smash crosscourt used 0.1% · won 78% · +27.8±8.7 vs own baseline · +8.2 vs tour on the same sequence Disrupted by Stefan Edberg (6/6)
- BH volley crosscourt → BH crosscourt → BH volley down the line used 0.3% · won 68% · +17.8±8.1 vs own baseline · +5.6 vs tour on the same sequence Disrupted by Pete Sampras (8/10), Ivan Lendl (7/8)
- BH volley down the line → FH down the line → BH volley crosscourt used 0.2% · won 70% · +19.4±8.6 vs own baseline · +3.3 vs tour on the same sequence Disrupted by Stefan Edberg (8/11), Ivan Lendl (6/8)
- FH crosscourt → FH through the middle → FH down the line + approach used 0.2% · won 68% · +18.2±9.1 vs own baseline · +5.4 vs tour on the same sequence
Strengths and vulnerabilities
Value per 100 shots compared with the average player hitting (strengths) or facing (vulnerabilities) the same shot. Only shot types seen at least 120 times.
Hurts opponents most with
| BH volley to their backhand · rally | +5.6 | 418 |
| FH volley to their forehand · rally | +5.2 | 400 |
| BH slice to their backhand · serve +1 | +4.5 | 282 |
| BH volley to their backhand · serve +1 | +4.3 | 1,097 |
| BH slice to their forehand · return | +3.8 | 305 |
Most exposed to
| BH slice to their forehand · return | −5.9 | 561 |
| BH volley to their backhand · rally | −5.1 | 294 |
| FH volley to their forehand · rally | −3.3 | 370 |
| BH slice to their backhand · serve +1 | −3.2 | 330 |
| BH slice to the middle · serve +1 | −2.3 | 143 |
Active players who are best at the shot in the top weakness: Rafael Nadal, Denis Shapovalov, Andy Murray, Lorenzo Musetti, Stan Wawrinka
Tactical fingerprint
Each bar shows how far a style trait is from the ATP average, in standard deviations.
| Serve & volley | 53% | |
| BH down the line | 34% | |
| Points at net | 25% | |
| Point-ending shots | 31.3% | |
| Backhand slice | 38% | |
| FH down the line | 35% | |
| Chipped returns | 25% | |
| T serves · deuce | 50% | |
| T serves · ad | 39% | |
| Run-around forehands | 18% | |
| Unforced errors / shot | 9.6% | |
| Wide serves · ad | 49% | |
| Wide serves · deuce | 41% | |
| Drop shots / shot | 0.5% | |
| 1st serve in | 57% | |
| Through the middle | 20% | |
| Avg rally length | 3.2 | |
| Deep returns | 15% | |
| Forehand share | 44% |
Plays most like
- Michael Stich 1990–1997 plan v
- Mark Philippoussis 1995–2003 plan v
- Todd Martin 1992–2001 plan v
- Tim Henman 1995–2006 plan v
- John Mcenroe 1978–1992 plan v
- Pete Sampras 1990–2002 plan v
- Guy Forget 1991–1996 plan v
- Malivai Washington 1992–1996 plan v
Closest from another era
- Gilles Muller 2005–2017
- Radek Stepanek 2004–2014
- Ivan Ljubicic 2003–2011
Charted matches
- Boris Becker v Lleyton Hewitt W Wimbledon R32 · Grass · 26 Jun 1999
- Pete Sampras v Boris Becker L Paris Masters R32 · Hard · 27 Oct 1997
- Pete Sampras v Boris Becker L Wimbledon QF · Grass · 3 Jul 1997
- Carlos Moya v Boris Becker L Australian Open R128 · Hard · 13 Jan 1997
- Boris Becker v Goran Ivanisevic W Grand Slam Cup F · Hard · 8 Dec 1996
- Boris Becker v Pete Sampras L Tour Finals F · Hard · 24 Nov 1996
- Boris Becker v Richard Krajicek W Tour Finals SF · Hard · 23 Nov 1996
- Pete Sampras v Boris Becker W Stuttgart Masters F · Hard · 27 Oct 1996
- Michael Chang v Boris Becker W Stuttgart Masters SF · Hard · 26 Oct 1996
- Jan Siemerink v Boris Becker W Vienna F · Hard · 13 Oct 1996
- Stefan Edberg v Boris Becker W Queens Club F · Grass · 16 Jun 1996
- Patrick Rafter v Boris Becker Queens Club QF · Grass · 14 Jun 1996