WTA · Left-handed · 4 charted matches · 2005–2009
Patty Schnyder
Shot expected value
The share of points Patty Schnyder 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 45% to the average player · 128 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| BH crosscourt | 37% | 47.0%±10.0 | 47.6% |
| BH down the line | 27% | 51.5%±11.1 | 46.8% |
| BH through the middle | 26% | 39.0%±11.0 | 43.3% |
Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your forehand side
position worth 43% to the average player · 78 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| FH crosscourt | 50% | 44.7%±10.6 | 46.7% |
| FH down the line | 28% | 45.2%±12.6 | 44.9% |
| FH through the middle | 22% | 38.5%±13.2 | 41.3% |
Long rally, 9+: drive to your backhand side
position worth 44% to the average player · 59 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| BH crosscourt | 41% | 44.5%±12.3 | 47.9% |
| BH down the line | 22% | 43.5%±14.2 | 46.7% |
| BH through the middle | 17% | 41.8%±14.8 | 42.7% |
Return +1: drive to your backhand side
position worth 44% to the average player · 58 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| BH crosscourt | 43% | 45.7%±12.2 | 47.8% |
| BH through the middle | 40% | 40.9%±12.3 | 43.0% |
| BH down the line | 17% | 34.2%±14.2 | 46.2% |
Serve under pressure
Deuce court
| 1st serve | Usage | Break pt | Won when in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 45% | 50% | 62% / 66% |
| Body | 7% | 0% | 56% / 57% |
| T | 48% | 50% | 63% / 68% |
134 normal · 10 break-point 1st serves
Ad court
| 1st serve | Usage | Break pt | Won when in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 64% | 58% | 60% / 66% |
| Body | 8% | 19% ▲ | 60% / 56% |
| T | 28% | 23% | 65% / 64% |
106 normal · 26 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 serve | Usage | Points won |
|---|---|---|
| Wide | 45% | 55.5%±8.4 n=65 |
| Body | 7% | 53.7%±13.0 n=10 |
| T | 48% | 54.7%±8.2 n=69 |
Consistent with an optimal mix (p = 0.95).
Ad court
| 1st serve | Usage | Points won |
|---|---|---|
| Wide | 63% | 53.6%±7.7 n=83 |
| Body | 10% | 60.8%±12.2 n=13 |
| T | 27% | 57.3%±10.0 n=36 |
Consistent with an optimal mix (p = 0.41).
Repeating the previous direction to the same court: +2.2±11.4 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. (102 repeats, 166 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 | 7 | 46% | +2.5±13.5 | |
| 1st | Ad court | T | 51 | 39% | +3.6±8.9 | |
| 1st | Ad court | Wide | 31 | 30% | −4.4±9.7 | |
| 1st | Deuce court | Body | 6 | 38% | −4.3±13.3 | |
| 1st | Deuce court | T | 29 | 30% | −2.2±9.8 | |
| 1st | Deuce court | Wide | 74 | 32% | −2.1±7.5 | |
| 2nd | Ad court | Body | 12 | 63% | +8.1±12.2 | |
| 2nd | Ad court | T | 31 | 48% | −6.7±10.5 | |
| 2nd | Ad court | Wide | 8 | 55% | +1.9±13.3 | |
| 2nd | Deuce court | Body | 3 | 56% | +1.1±14.2 | |
| 2nd | Deuce court | T | 1 | 57% | +1.4±14.6 | |
| 2nd | Deuce court | Wide | 39 | 48% | −5.8±9.9 |
Signature patterns
Recurring sequences that win more than Patty Schnyder's own baseline, ranked by edge weighted by how often they're used.
Serve → +1
- Not enough data
Return
- vs wide serve (deuce court) → BH through the middle, mid used 29.9% · won 41% · −3.9±11.6 vs own baseline
Rally, consecutive own shots
- FH crosscourt → BH crosscourt used 11.6% · won 48% · +6.5±11.6 vs own baseline
- FH crosscourt → FH crosscourt used 13.3% · won 43% · +2.0±11.1 vs own baseline
- FH crosscourt → FH down the line used 12.7% · won 39% · −2.9±11.1 vs own baseline
Discovered sequences
Mined from every me → opponent → me run of three shots, with no templates. Ranked by how much more often Patty Schnyder wins the point once the sequence happens, weighted by how often it happens. Think of them as chess openings.
- BH crosscourt → FH crosscourt → BH down the line used 2.8% · won 47% · +2.3±12.3 vs own baseline · +1.5 vs tour on the same sequence Disrupted by Amelie Mauresmo (5/10)
- FH crosscourt → BH down the line → BH crosscourt used 2.1% · won 46% · +0.7±13.0 vs own baseline · −2.8 vs tour on the same sequence Disrupted by Amelie Mauresmo (4/8)
- FH crosscourt → BH crosscourt → FH crosscourt used 2.2% · won 44% · −0.5±12.8 vs own baseline · −4.5 vs tour on the same sequence Disrupted by Amelie Mauresmo (4/8)
- FH crosscourt → BH crosscourt → FH down the line used 3.2% · won 44% · −0.7±11.8 vs own baseline · −4.8 vs tour on the same sequence Disrupted by Amelie Mauresmo (6/11)
- BH crosscourt → FH crosscourt → BH crosscourt used 2.4% · won 41% · −3.9±12.6 vs own baseline · −12.9 vs tour on the same sequence Disrupted by Amelie Mauresmo (4/9)
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 backhand · rally | +0.2 | 129 |
Most exposed to
| FH to their backhand · rally | +1.4 | 159 |
Active players who are best at the shot in the top weakness: Clara Burel, Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Arianne Hartono, Angelique Kerber