ATP · Right-handed · 4 charted matches · 2022–2026
Michael Zheng
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.
Shot expected value
The share of points Michael Zheng 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 · 127 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| BH crosscourt | 45% | 39.6%±9.2 | 47.6% |
| BH through the middle | 24% | 40.7%±11.3 | 43.7% |
| FH inside-out | 12% | 52.5%±13.9 | 51.8% |
| BH down the line | 9% | 47.7%±14.5 | 46.4% |
| FH inside-in | 9% | 62.3%±14.1 | 54.7% |
Long rally, 9+: drive to your backhand side
position worth 46% to the average player · 71 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| BH crosscourt | 44% | 44.3%±11.4 | 48.0% |
| BH through the middle | 20% | 43.4%±14.0 | 43.8% |
Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your middle
position worth 51% to the average player · 68 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| FH down the line | 41% | 50.6%±11.9 | 51.5% |
| FH crosscourt | 25% | 66.3%±12.8 | 52.7% |
| FH through the middle | 15% | 54.7%±15.0 | 47.0% |
Serve +1: mid-depth return to your middle
position worth 54% to the average player · 60 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| FH down the line | 42% | 61.5%±11.9 | 53.4% |
| FH crosscourt | 28% | 54.6%±13.5 | 56.0% |
Serve under pressure
Deuce court
| 1st serve | Usage | Break pt | Won when in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 38% | 29% ▼ | 74% / 73% |
| Body | 8% | 0% | 66% / 63% |
| T | 54% | 71% ▲ | 77% / 75% |
167 normal · 7 break-point 1st serves
Ad court
| 1st serve | Usage | Break pt | Won when in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 51% | 53% | 73% / 73% |
| Body | 16% | 13% | 66% / 63% |
| T | 34% | 33% | 70% / 72% |
140 normal · 15 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 | 37% | 71.2%±7.6 n=65 |
| Body | 7% | 69.6%±11.5 n=13 |
| T | 55% | 68.2%±6.8 n=96 |
Consistent with an optimal mix (p = 0.85).
Ad court
| 1st serve | Usage | Points won |
|---|---|---|
| Wide | 51% | 63.6%±7.6 n=79 |
| Body | 15% | 63.5%±10.8 n=24 |
| T | 34% | 64.5%±8.7 n=52 |
Consistent with an optimal mix (p = 0.98).
Repeating the previous direction to the same court: +0.5±5.9 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. (126 repeats, 195 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 | 32% | −5.2±12.4 | |
| 1st | Ad court | T | 30 | 32% | +4.3±9.9 | |
| 1st | Ad court | Wide | 56 | 27% | −0.3±7.9 | |
| 1st | Deuce court | Body | 15 | 27% | −10.0±10.8 | |
| 1st | Deuce court | T | 64 | 30% | +5.3±7.8 | |
| 1st | Deuce court | Wide | 40 | 30% | +3.0±9.0 | |
| 2nd | Ad court | Body | 13 | 44% | −5.6±12.4 | |
| 2nd | Ad court | T | 10 | 49% | +0.2±13.0 | |
| 2nd | Ad court | Wide | 49 | 53% | +4.2±9.2 | |
| 2nd | Deuce court | Body | 20 | 51% | +2.4±11.6 | |
| 2nd | Deuce court | T | 36 | 51% | +1.7±10.1 | |
| 2nd | Deuce court | Wide | 11 | 52% | +4.2±12.8 |
Signature patterns
Recurring sequences that win more than Michael Zheng's own baseline, ranked by edge weighted by how often they're used.
Serve → +1
- Not enough data
Return
- vs T serve (deuce court) → BH through the middle, mid used 24.1% · won 51% · +4.6±11.6 vs own baseline
Rally, consecutive own shots
- Not enough data