ATP · Right-handed · 8 charted matches · 2001–2006
Max Mirnyi
Archetype: Serve-and-volleyer · Net rusher (6)
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 2,443 shots.
Shot expected value
The share of points Max Mirnyi 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.
Serve +1: drive to your middle, you at net
position worth 61% to the average player · 70 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| BH volley crosscourt | 33% | 57.2%±12.4 | 62.9% |
| FH volley down the line | 21% | 65.0%±13.3 | 63.8% |
| FH volley crosscourt | 16% | 63.7%±14.2 | 68.7% |
| BH volley down the line | 16% | 60.3%±14.5 | 58.4% |
Serve +1: short return to your middle, you at net
position worth 54% to the average player · 54 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| BH volley crosscourt | 24% | 67.6%±13.4 | 56.5% |
| BH volley through the middle | 20% | 33.3%±13.9 | 36.6% |
Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your forehand side, you at net
position worth 57% to the average player · 42 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| FH volley crosscourt | 43% | 57.2%±13.2 | 68.7% |
| FH volley down the line | 38% | 63.8%±13.2 | 54.8% |
Return +1: drive to your forehand side
position worth 41% to the average player · 38 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| FH crosscourt | 45% | 38.0%±13.1 | 45.3% |
| FH through the middle | 39% | 28.2%±12.5 | 39.4% |
Serve under pressure
Pressure predictability index ±0 How much less varied Max Mirnyi's first-serve direction gets on break points. Positive means easier to read. Based on 49 break-point first serves.
Deuce court
| 1st serve | Usage | Break pt | Won when in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 40% | 60% ▲ | 82% / 73% |
| Body | 12% | 0% ▼ | 64% / 63% |
| T | 48% | 40% ▼ | 73% / 75% |
387 normal · 10 break-point 1st serves
Ad court
| 1st serve | Usage | Break pt | Won when in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 53% | 49% | 78% / 73% |
| Body | 11% | 18% | 66% / 63% |
| T | 36% | 33% | 73% / 72% |
320 normal · 39 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% | 71.4%±5.4 n=161 | 54% ▲ |
| Body | 12% | 57.8%±9.3 n=46 | 0% ▼ |
| T | 48% | 61.3%±5.4 n=190 | 46% ▼ |
Off equilibrium (p = 0.012): serve wide more. Gap 6.4 points per 100 first serves.
Optimal mix: +1.0 per 100 first serves.
Ad court
| 1st serve | Usage | Points won | Optimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 52% | 68.3%±5.2 n=187 | 65% ▲ |
| Body | 12% | 69.4%±8.9 n=43 | 0% ▼ |
| T | 36% | 63.7%±6.3 n=129 | 35% |
Consistent with an optimal mix (p = 0.44).
Optimal mix: +0.6 per 100 first serves.
Exploitability 0.81 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: +1.3±4.8 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. (282 repeats, 458 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 | 8 | 37% | +0.1±12.9 | |
| 1st | Ad court | T | 93 | 28% | −0.1±6.7 | |
| 1st | Ad court | Wide | 109 | 27% | +0.2±6.2 | |
| 1st | Deuce court | Body | 15 | 31% | −5.6±11.4 | |
| 1st | Deuce court | T | 101 | 16% | −8.6±5.3 | |
| 1st | Deuce court | Wide | 100 | 19% | −7.8±5.7 | |
| 2nd | Ad court | Body | 29 | 42% | −7.3±10.6 | |
| 2nd | Ad court | T | 12 | 47% | −2.2±12.7 | |
| 2nd | Ad court | Wide | 53 | 33% | −15.2±8.5 | |
| 2nd | Deuce court | Body | 42 | 41% | −7.8±9.5 | |
| 2nd | Deuce court | T | 65 | 48% | −1.4±8.4 | |
| 2nd | Deuce court | Wide | 11 | 52% | +4.2±12.8 |
Signature patterns
Recurring sequences that win more than Max Mirnyi's own baseline, ranked by edge weighted by how often they're used.
Serve → +1
- Wide serve (deuce court) → BH volley crosscourt used 4.9% · won 74% · −0.5±9.7 vs own baseline
- Wide serve (ad court) → BH volley down the line used 5.1% · won 72% · −1.8±9.7 vs own baseline
- T serve (deuce court) → BH volley crosscourt used 5.1% · won 62% · −12.3±10.5 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
| Wide 1st serve · ad court | +4.1 | 187 |
| T 1st serve · ad court | +2.0 | 129 |
| Wide 1st serve · deuce court | +2.0 | 161 |
| T 1st serve · deuce court | +0.1 | 190 |
Most exposed to
| T 1st serve · ad court | −3.1 | 127 |
| Wide 1st serve · deuce court | −2.2 | 147 |
| T 1st serve · deuce court | −2.1 | 171 |
| Wide 1st serve · ad court | −1.0 | 167 |
| BH to the middle · return | +1.6 | 139 |
Active players who are best at the shot in the top weakness: Reilly Opelka, Milos Raonic, Nick Kyrgios, Nicolas Jarry, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
Tactical fingerprint
Each bar shows how far a style trait is from the ATP average, in standard deviations.
| Serve & volley | 86% | |
| BH down the line | 44% | |
| Points at net | 33% | |
| Point-ending shots | 37.2% | |
| Chipped returns | 37% | |
| Backhand slice | 43% | |
| Through the middle | 29% | |
| 1st serve in | 65% | |
| Unforced errors / shot | 11.0% | |
| T serves · deuce | 48% | |
| Wide serves · ad | 52% | |
| Drop shots / shot | 1.2% | |
| T serves · ad | 36% | |
| Wide serves · deuce | 41% | |
| FH down the line | 27% | |
| Deep returns | 21% | |
| Run-around forehands | 8% | |
| Forehand share | 43% | |
| Avg rally length | 2.6 |
Plays most like
- John Mcenroe 1978–1992 plan v
- Patrick Rafter 1993–2001 plan v
- David Wheaton 1990–1994 plan v
- Michael Stich 1990–1997 plan v
- Richard Krajicek 1992–2000 plan v
- Stefan Edberg 1985–2012 plan v
- Boris Becker 1985–1999 plan v
- Pat Cash 1984–1992 plan v
Closest from another era
- John Mcenroe 1978–1992
- Pat Cash 1984–1992
- Maxime Cressy 2021–2024
Charted matches
- Roger Federer v Max Mirnyi L Australian Open R32 · Hard · 21 Jan 2006
- Max Mirnyi v Radek Stepanek L Paris Masters SF · Hard · 6 Nov 2004
- Max Mirnyi v Roger Federer L Canada Masters R16 · Hard · 29 Jul 2004
- Andy Roddick v Max Mirnyi L Cincinnati Masters SF · Hard · 11 Aug 2003
- Max Mirnyi v Roger Federer L Hamburg Masters SF · Clay · 18 May 2002
- Yevgeny Kafelnikov v Max Mirnyi W Stuttgart Masters SF · Hard · 20 Oct 2001
- Max Mirnyi v Pete Sampras W Stuttgart Masters QF · Hard · 19 Oct 2001
- Max Mirnyi v Gustavo Kuerten L US Open R32 · Hard · 27 Aug 2001