RallyIQ

WTA · Right-handed · 3 charted matches · 2024–2025

Veronika Erjavec

Shot expected value

The share of points Veronika Erjavec 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 middle

position worth 50% to the average player · 111 shots

OptionUsedWin %Tour
FH crosscourt 30% 55.7%±11.2 52.7%
FH down the line 26% 43.8%±11.7 52.2%
BH crosscourt 18% 38.0%±12.6 50.9%
BH through the middle 14% 40.7%±13.7 46.2%
BH down the line 13% 55.9%±14.0 50.0%

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

position worth 45% to the average player · 95 shots

OptionUsedWin %Tour
BH crosscourt 46% 47.7%±10.3 47.6%
BH through the middle 33% 38.6%±11.2 43.3%
BH down the line 11% 44.5%±14.9 46.8%

Long rally, 9+: drive to your forehand side

position worth 44% to the average player · 91 shots

OptionUsedWin %Tour
FH crosscourt 45% 56.4%±10.4 47.0%
FH down the line 35% 39.0%±11.1 46.4%
FH through the middle 20% 45.5%±13.3 41.5%

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

position worth 43% to the average player · 90 shots

OptionUsedWin %Tour
FH crosscourt 42% 48.9%±10.8 46.7%
FH down the line 33% 46.0%±11.6 44.9%
FH through the middle 18% 53.5%±13.7 41.3%

Serve under pressure

Deuce court

1st serveUsageBreak ptWon when in
Wide 45% 20% ▼ 65% / 66%
Body 13% 20% 58% / 57%
T 42% 60% ▲ 60% / 68%

106 normal · 5 break-point 1st serves

Ad court

1st serveUsageBreak ptWon when in
Wide 43% 40% 71% / 66%
Body 18% 20% 53% / 56%
T 40% 40% 67% / 64%

91 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. 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 won
Wide44% 56.2%±9.2 n=49
Body14% 56.2%±12.2 n=15
T42% 52.9%±9.4 n=47

Consistent with an optimal mix (p = 0.83).

Ad court

1st serveUsagePoints won
Wide42% 65.6%±9.0 n=45
Body18% 54.5%±11.7 n=19
T40% 56.4%±9.6 n=42

Consistent with an optimal mix (p = 0.15).

Return by serve direction

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

ServeCourtDirectionPointsWonvs tour
1stAd courtBody 7 49% +5.2±13.5
1stAd courtT 24 29% −6.5±10.2
1stAd courtWide 31 30% −4.4±9.7
1stDeuce courtBody 15 46% +3.6±12.2
1stDeuce courtT 33 30% −2.5±9.5
1stDeuce courtWide 28 26% −7.8±9.5
2ndAd courtBody 17 52% −2.9±12.0
2ndAd courtT 18 59% +4.4±11.7
2ndAd courtWide 11 59% +5.1±12.7
2ndDeuce courtBody 20 53% −1.8±11.6
2ndDeuce courtT 3 51% −5.1±14.3
2ndDeuce courtWide 19 49% −4.5±11.7

Signature patterns

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

Serve → +1

  1. Not enough data

Return

  1. Not enough data

Rally, consecutive own shots

  1. FH crosscourt → FH crosscourt used 8.5% · won 61% · +9.5±10.9 vs own baseline
  2. BH crosscourt → BH crosscourt used 7.5% · won 54% · +3.4±11.5 vs own baseline
  3. BH through the middle → FH crosscourt used 6.8% · won 49% · −2.4±11.8 vs own baseline
  4. FH crosscourt → FH down the line used 11.9% · won 48% · −2.9±10.0 vs own baseline
  5. FH down the line → BH crosscourt used 7.8% · won 44% · −7.0±11.3 vs own baseline

Discovered sequences

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

  1. FH crosscourt → BH crosscourt → FH crosscourt used 1.8% · won 53% · +4.4±13.1 vs own baseline · +11.7 vs tour on the same sequence Disrupted by Arantxa Rus (9/15)
  2. BH crosscourt → BH crosscourt → BH crosscourt used 2.0% · won 50% · +1.9±12.7 vs own baseline · +4.3 vs tour on the same sequence Disrupted by Suzan Lamens (9/17)
  3. FH crosscourt → FH crosscourt → FH down the line used 2.6% · won 45% · −3.4±12.0 vs own baseline · −6.8 vs tour on the same sequence Disrupted by Suzan Lamens (9/22)

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+0.4173

Most exposed to

BH to the middle · rally−1.2130
FH to their forehand · rally−1.1130

Active players who are best at the shot in the top weakness: Darja Vidmanova, Caroline Wozniacki, Katie Volynets, Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, Marie Bouzkova

Charted matches