ATP · Right-handed · 8 charted matches · 1987–1994
Brad Gilbert
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 2,993 shots.
Shot expected value
The share of points Brad Gilbert 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 · 143 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| BH crosscourt | 31% | 31.6%±9.5 | 47.6% |
| BH slice crosscourt | 29% | 32.0%±9.8 | 42.5% |
| BH through the middle | 20% | 52.5%±11.7 | 43.7% |
| BH slice through the middle | 13% | 31.7%±12.4 | 35.1% |
Long rally, 9+: drive to your backhand side
position worth 46% to the average player · 93 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| BH crosscourt | 24% | 32.4%±11.9 | 48.0% |
| BH slice through the middle | 23% | 36.6%±12.4 | 35.1% |
| BH through the middle | 20% | 37.9%±12.8 | 43.8% |
| BH slice crosscourt | 19% | 32.7%±12.5 | 42.1% |
Return +1: volley to your backhand side, opponent at net
position worth 33% to the average player · 77 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| BH down the line | 32% | 41.9%±12.1 | 39.2% |
| BH crosscourt | 30% | 41.1%±12.3 | 43.4% |
| BH lob crosscourt | 21% | 26.1%±12.0 | 26.9% |
Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your forehand side
position worth 44% to the average player · 72 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| FH crosscourt | 60% | 40.2%±10.2 | 46.6% |
| FH through the middle | 21% | 35.1%±13.3 | 41.5% |
Serve under pressure
Pressure predictability index +20 How much less varied Brad Gilbert's first-serve direction gets on break points. Positive means easier to read. Based on 79 break-point first serves.
Deuce court
| 1st serve | Usage | Break pt | Won when in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 53% | 48% | 66% / 73% |
| Body | 7% | 5% | 65% / 63% |
| T | 40% | 48% | 69% / 75% |
321 normal · 21 break-point 1st serves
Ad court
| 1st serve | Usage | Break pt | Won when in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 42% | 69% ▲ | 66% / 73% |
| Body | 8% | 2% | 53% / 63% |
| T | 50% | 29% ▼ | 65% / 72% |
261 normal · 58 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 | 52% | 60.5%±5.6 n=179 | 65% ▲ |
| Body | 7% | 58.2%±11.0 n=24 | 0% ▼ |
| T | 41% | 56.9%±6.3 n=139 | 35% ▼ |
Consistent with an optimal mix (p = 0.72).
Optimal mix: +0.3 per 100 first serves.
Ad court
| 1st serve | Usage | Points won | Optimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 47% | 51.2%±6.1 n=149 | 41% ▼ |
| Body | 7% | 48.4%±11.4 n=22 | 0% ▼ |
| T | 46% | 52.5%±6.2 n=148 | 59% ▲ |
Consistent with an optimal mix (p = 0.75).
Optimal mix: +0.2 per 100 first serves.
Exploitability 0.24 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: −1.8±8.1 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. (284 repeats, 361 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 | 24 | 45% | +7.6±11.1 | |
| 1st | Ad court | T | 53 | 27% | −1.0±8.0 | |
| 1st | Ad court | Wide | 107 | 28% | +0.6±6.3 | |
| 1st | Deuce court | Body | 37 | 25% | −11.3±8.7 | |
| 1st | Deuce court | T | 107 | 24% | −0.6±6.0 | |
| 1st | Deuce court | Wide | 74 | 29% | +1.8±7.3 | |
| 2nd | Ad court | Body | 57 | 45% | −4.8±8.8 | |
| 2nd | Ad court | T | 16 | 58% | +8.9±12.0 | |
| 2nd | Ad court | Wide | 42 | 47% | −1.8±9.7 | |
| 2nd | Deuce court | Body | 43 | 48% | −1.5±9.6 | |
| 2nd | Deuce court | T | 43 | 44% | −6.0±9.6 | |
| 2nd | Deuce court | Wide | 21 | 44% | −4.1±11.4 |
Signature patterns
Recurring sequences that win more than Brad Gilbert's own baseline, ranked by edge weighted by how often they're used.
Serve → +1
- T serve (ad court) → FH down the line used 7.8% · won 52% · −13.2±11.3 vs own baseline
Return
- Not enough data
Rally, consecutive own shots
- Not enough data
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
| FH to their forehand · rally | +2.8 | 138 |
| T 1st serve · deuce court | ±0.0 | 139 |
| Wide 1st serve · ad court | −0.3 | 149 |
| T 1st serve · ad court | −1.2 | 148 |
| Wide 1st serve · deuce court | −1.3 | 179 |
Most exposed to
| FH to the middle · return | −3.4 | 141 |
| FH to their backhand · rally | −3.3 | 140 |
| BH to their backhand · rally | −2.8 | 131 |
| FH to their backhand · return | −1.6 | 132 |
| Wide 1st serve · ad court | +0.1 | 168 |
Active players who are best at the shot in the top weakness: Roman Safiullin, Tomas Machac, Miomir Kecmanovic, Roberto Bautista Agut, Tommy Paul
Tactical fingerprint
Each bar shows how far a style trait is from the ATP average, in standard deviations.
| Points at net | 22% | |
| FH down the line | 37% | |
| Wide serves · deuce | 52% | |
| Backhand slice | 39% | |
| T serves · ad | 46% | |
| Serve & volley | 27% | |
| Chipped returns | 23% | |
| BH down the line | 23% | |
| Point-ending shots | 25.0% | |
| 1st serve in | 62% | |
| Unforced errors / shot | 9.6% | |
| Run-around forehands | 16% | |
| Through the middle | 23% | |
| Wide serves · ad | 47% | |
| Avg rally length | 3.6 | |
| T serves · deuce | 41% | |
| Forehand share | 48% | |
| Drop shots / shot | 0.0% | |
| Deep returns | 14% |
Plays most like
- Mario Ancic 2002–2008 plan v
- Mark Philippoussis 1995–2003 plan v
- Yevgeny Kafelnikov 1994–2002 plan v
- Radek Stepanek 2004–2014 plan v
- Ivan Ljubicic 2003–2011 plan v
- Andy Roddick 2001–2012 plan v
- Cedric Pioline 1992–2000 plan v
- Jiri Novak 1996–2004 plan v
Closest from another era
- Radek Stepanek 2004–2014
- Ivan Ljubicic 2003–2011
- Andy Roddick 2001–2012
Charted matches
- Todd Martin v Brad Gilbert L Memphis F · Hard · 13 Feb 1994
- Brad Gilbert v Pete Sampras L Tokyo Outdoor F · Hard · 11 Apr 1993
- Andre Agassi v Brad Gilbert L San Francisco F · Hard · 7 Feb 1993
- Brad Gilbert v Stefan Edberg L Sydney F · Hard · 6 Oct 1991
- Pete Sampras v Brad Gilbert L Grand Slam Cup F · Hard · 16 Dec 1990
- Brad Gilbert v Stefan Edberg L Cincinnati Masters F · Hard · 12 Aug 1990
- Brad Gilbert v Stefan Edberg W Cincinnati Masters F · Hard · 20 Aug 1989
- Brad Gilbert v Boris Becker W US Open R16 · Hard · 7 Sep 1987