RallyIQ

WTA · Right-handed · 27 charted matches · 2004–2016

Jelena Jankovic

Archetype: Forehand line-changer · Backhand line-changer

Against an average opponent

Serve points won 54.8% ±3.0 raw 49.9% · tour 56.3% · 1,846 points
Return points won 44.0% ±3.1 raw 41.1% · tour 43.7% · 1,831 points

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

Direction choice +0.04 ±0.09 better than 62% of WTA · raw +0.02
Shot selection −0.06 ±0.10 better than 40% of WTA · raw −0.10
Execution +0.66 ±0.50 better than 84% of WTA · raw +0.38
Tactical adaptability +0.05 first serves toward what's working, set to set · 25 matches
Adaptation speed +0.16 same, every two to three service games · per 100 first serves
Points left on the table 2.56 per 100 shots vs best direction · lower than 57% of WTA

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 10,497 shots.

Shot expected value

The share of points Jelena Jankovic 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 forehand side

position worth 43% to the average player · 682 shots

OptionUsedWin %Tour
FH down the line 40% 40.7%±4.7 44.9%
FH crosscourt 30% 44.2%±5.4 46.7%
FH through the middle 20% 34.6%±6.2 41.3%
FH slice through the middle 4% 25.8%±10.6 29.2%
FH slice down the line 2% 26.1%±12.4 24.3%
FH slice crosscourt 2% 31.5%±13.3 31.9%

Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your middle

position worth 50% to the average player · 661 shots

OptionUsedWin %Tour
FH down the line 26% 53.0%±5.9 52.2%
BH down the line 16% 50.8%±7.3 50.0%
BH through the middle 16% 37.6%±7.2 46.2%
FH crosscourt 14% 45.7%±7.6 52.7%
FH through the middle 12% 41.2%±8.1 45.8%
BH crosscourt 12% 42.5%±8.3 50.9%
FH down the line + approach 2% 65.8%±13.6 68.6%

Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your backhand side

position worth 45% to the average player · 631 shots

OptionUsedWin %Tour
BH crosscourt 37% 50.0%±5.2 47.6%
BH through the middle 28% 41.6%±5.8 43.3%
BH down the line 22% 46.8%±6.5 46.8%
BH slice crosscourt 6% 32.9%±10.4 40.4%
BH slice through the middle 5% 30.0%±10.4 34.4%

Long rally, 9+: drive to your forehand side

position worth 44% to the average player · 398 shots

OptionUsedWin %Tour
FH down the line 41% 42.2%±6.0 46.4%
FH crosscourt 31% 44.4%±6.8 47.0%
FH through the middle 18% 50.3%±8.7 41.5%
FH slice through the middle 5% 22.7%±11.0 29.3%

Serve under pressure

Pressure predictability index +5 How much less varied Jelena Jankovic's first-serve direction gets on break points. Positive means easier to read. Based on 258 break-point first serves.

Deuce court

1st serveUsageBreak ptWon when in
Wide 34% 20% ▼ 65% / 66%
Body 20% 18% 52% / 57%
T 45% 62% ▲ 59% / 68%

880 normal · 61 break-point 1st serves

Ad court

1st serveUsageBreak ptWon when in
Wide 49% 53% 58% / 66%
Body 17% 16% 52% / 56%
T 34% 31% 50% / 64%

692 normal · 197 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. A direction loses 0.19 points per 100 serves for every 10 points of habitual usage, measured from WTA 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 serveUsagePoints wonOptimal
Wide33% 55.1%±4.4 n=315 49% ▲
Body20% 47.2%±5.5 n=191 5% ▼
T46% 50.9%±3.8 n=435 46%

Consistent with an optimal mix (p = 0.12).
Optimal mix: +0.9 per 100 first serves.

Ad court

1st serveUsagePoints wonOptimal
Wide50% 49.9%±3.8 n=444 65% ▲
Body17% 49.2%±6.1 n=151 5% ▼
T33% 44.7%±4.5 n=294 30% ▼

Consistent with an optimal mix (p = 0.24).
Optimal mix: +0.3 per 100 first serves.

Exploitability 0.63 points per 100 first serves What the optimal mix would win over the current one, both courts. More exploitable than 100% of WTA servers. Tested on matches they weren't fitted on, WTA mixes picked this way win 0.42 per 100 first serves on average.

Repeating the previous direction to the same court: −1.3±3.6 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. (692 repeats, 1,084 switches.)

Return by serve direction

Return points won against each serve direction, compared with the tour average.

ServeCourtDirectionPointsWonvs tour
1stAd courtBody 91 52% +8.3±7.5
1stAd courtT 266 32% −3.6±4.5
1stAd courtWide 189 28% −6.0±5.0
1stDeuce courtBody 103 43% +0.8±7.1
1stDeuce courtT 181 24% −7.7±4.9
1stDeuce courtWide 312 32% −2.4±4.1
2ndAd courtBody 146 58% +2.6±6.1
2ndAd courtT 93 52% −2.6±7.4
2ndAd courtWide 96 52% −1.1±7.3
2ndDeuce courtBody 142 54% −0.2±6.2
2ndDeuce courtT 83 55% −1.3±7.7
2ndDeuce courtWide 124 58% +4.1±6.5

Signature patterns

Recurring sequences that win more than Jelena Jankovic's own baseline, ranked by edge weighted by how often they're used.

Serve → +1

  1. Body serve (deuce court) → BH down the line used 2.1% · won 55% · +1.1±10.2 vs own baseline
  2. Body serve (deuce court) → BH crosscourt used 2.2% · won 52% · −1.2±10.2 vs own baseline
  3. Wide serve (ad court) → BH crosscourt used 2.3% · won 52% · −1.3±10.0 vs own baseline
  4. T serve (deuce court) → BH crosscourt used 2.0% · won 52% · −1.9±10.4 vs own baseline
  5. Body serve (deuce court) → BH through the middle used 2.0% · won 52% · −1.9±10.4 vs own baseline

Return

  1. vs body serve (ad court) → BH through the middle, mid used 2.8% · won 54% · +11.7±10.1 vs own baseline
  2. vs T serve (ad court) → FH down the line, deep used 2.4% · won 53% · +10.5±10.6 vs own baseline
  3. vs wide serve (deuce court) → FH down the line, deep used 2.4% · won 53% · +10.5±10.6 vs own baseline
  4. vs wide serve (deuce court) → FH crosscourt, mid used 3.3% · won 51% · +8.6±9.6 vs own baseline
  5. vs wide serve (deuce court) → FH through the middle, deep used 3.2% · won 50% · +7.9±9.7 vs own baseline

Rally, consecutive own shots

  1. FH down the line → BH down the line used 4.3% · won 57% · +10.9±7.1 vs own baseline
  2. FH down the line → BH crosscourt used 7.3% · won 53% · +6.3±5.7 vs own baseline
  3. BH crosscourt → BH down the line used 5.0% · won 54% · +7.4±6.7 vs own baseline
  4. BH crosscourt → FH through the middle used 1.1% · won 55% · +8.8±10.9 vs own baseline
  5. FH crosscourt → BH crosscourt used 1.6% · won 54% · +7.2±10.0 vs own baseline

Discovered sequences

Mined from every me → opponent → me run of three shots, with no templates. Ranked by how much more often Jelena Jankovic wins the point once the sequence happens, weighted by how often it happens. Think of them as chess openings.

  1. FH down the line → BH crosscourt → BH down the line used 1.1% · won 52% · +7.7±8.8 vs own baseline · +4.9 vs tour on the same sequence Disrupted by Serena Williams (6/13), Belinda Bencic (3/6)
  2. BH down the line → FH crosscourt → FH crosscourt used 1.2% · won 51% · +6.6±8.5 vs own baseline · +5.1 vs tour on the same sequence Disrupted by Maria Sharapova (4/9), Agnieszka Radwanska (3/6)
  3. FH down the line → BH through the middle → BH down the line used 0.8% · won 52% · +8.3±10.0 vs own baseline · +6.0 vs tour on the same sequence Disrupted by Serena Williams (3/6), Elena Dementieva (11/18)
  4. BH crosscourt → BH through the middle → FH down the line used 1.0% · won 50% · +6.0±9.1 vs own baseline · −0.7 vs tour on the same sequence Disrupted by Elena Dementieva (18/31), Caroline Wozniacki (4/6)
  5. FH down the line → BH through the middle → FH crosscourt used 0.7% · won 51% · +6.8±10.2 vs own baseline · −2.0 vs tour on the same sequence Disrupted by Caroline Wozniacki (5/11), Serena Williams (5/9)
  6. FH down the line → FH crosscourt → BH crosscourt used 0.4% · won 52% · +8.0±11.6 vs own baseline · +11.6 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

FH to the middle · serve +1+2.8126
BH to their forehand · return +1+2.5121
FH to the middle · rally+1.8338
FH to the middle · return+1.8368
BH to their forehand · return+1.8186

Most exposed to

FH to their backhand · rally−5.4434
FH to their forehand · return−4.1189
BH to their backhand · return−3.4222
BH to the middle · return−2.5455
BH to their backhand · rally−2.4685

Active players who are best at the shot in the top weakness: Clara Burel, Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Arianne Hartono, Angelique Kerber

Tactical fingerprint

Each bar shows how far a style trait is from the WTA average, in standard deviations.

FH down the line50%
BH down the line34%
T serves · deuce46%
Avg rally length4.7
Wide serves · ad50%
Points at net8%
1st serve in62%
Serve & volley0%
Chipped returns8%
Backhand slice10%
T serves · ad33%
Deep returns30%
Unforced errors / shot8.8%
Through the middle25%
Drop shots / shot0.6%
Run-around forehands1%
Point-ending shots19.4%
Wide serves · deuce33%
Forehand share50%

Plays most like

  1. Vera Zvonareva 2003–2020 plan v
  2. Nadia Petrova 2005–2013 plan v
  3. Mona Barthel 2012–2021 plan v
  4. Martina Hingis 1996–2007 plan v
  5. Victoria Azarenka 2009–2025 plan v
  6. Elise Mertens 2018–2026 plan v
  7. Mirra Andreeva 2022–2026 plan v
  8. Simona Halep 2013–2022 plan v

Closest from another era

  1. Gabriela Sabatini 1988–1995
  2. Iva Jovic 2024–2026
  3. Maya Joint 2024–2026

Charted matches