Match Stats/Report - Muster vs Agassi, Davis Cup semi-final rubber, 1990

[Waspsting]

Thomas Muster (Austria) beat Andre Agassi (USA) 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(2) in a Davis Cup semi-final rubber, 1990 on clay in Vienna, Austria

The result tied the match at 2-2. USA would go onto win with Michael Chang beating Horst Skoff in the final rubber. Earlier, Muster had beaten Chang and Agassi had beaten Skoff. Muster had partnered Alex Antonitsch in losing the doubles rubber to Rick Leach and Jim Pugh

USA would go onto win the title, beating Australia at home on indoor clay in the final

Muster won 103 points, Agassi 80

Serve Stats
Muster...
- 1st serve percentage (58/87) 67%
- 1st serve points won (37/58) 64%
- 2nd serve points won (19/29) 66%
- Double Faults 2
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (15/87) 17%

Agassi...
- 1st serve percentage (65/96) 68%
- 1st serve points won (37/65) 57%
- 2nd serve points won (12/31) 39%
- Aces 2
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (10/96) 10%

Serve Patterns
Muster served...
- to FH 21%
- to BH 78%
- to Body 1%

Agassi served...
- to FH 38%
- to BH 61%
- to Body 1%

Return Stats
Muster made...
- 86 (39 FH, 47 BH), including 7 runaround FHs & 1 drop-return
- 8 Errors, comprising...
- 7 Unforced (3 FH, 4 BH)
- 1 Forced (1 FH)
- Return Rate (86/96) 90%

Agassi made...
- 70 (28 FH, 42 BH), including 10 runaround FHs
- 1 Winner (1 BH)
- 15 Errors, comprising...
- 9 Unforced (2 FH, 7 BH), including 1 runaround FH
- 6 Forced (6 BH)
- Return Rate (70/85) 82%

Break Points
Muster 5/10 (8 games)
Agassi 1/2 (2 games)

Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
Muster 28 (20 FH, 5 BH, 1 FHV, 2 BHV)
Agassi 28 (15 FH, 7 BH, 1 BHV, 5 OH)

Muster's - FHs - 3 cc (1 pass), 5 dtl (2 passes - 1 at net), 1 dtl/inside-out, 4 inside-out, 2 inside-in, 1 inside-in/cc, 2 lobs, 1 running-down-drop-shot inside-out/dtl pass at net, 1 net chord dribbler
- BHs - 4 cc (1 pass), 1 dtl pass

Agassi's FHs - 3 cc (1 at net), 1 cc/inside-in, 2 dtl (1 pass), 3 inside-out, 3 inside-in (1 at net), 2 drop shots, 1 running-down-drop-shot cc pass at net
- BHs - 4 cc (3 passes - 1 return, where Muster had dropped his racquet and was unable to play a shot), 3 dtl (1 sliced pass, 1 at net),

Errors (excluding serves and returns)
Muster 40
- 30 Unforced (12 FH, 16 BH, 1 FHV, 1 OH)
- 10 Forced (2 FH, 8 BH)... with 1 BH running-down-drop-shot at net
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 47

Agassi 60
- 45 Unforced (24 FH, 18 BH, 2 FHV, 1 OH)... with 1 swinging FHV
- 15 Forced (9 FH, 6 BH)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 45.6

(Note 1: All 1/2 volleys refer to such shots played at net. 1/2 volleys played from other parts of the court are included within relevant groundstroke numbers)

(Note 2: the Unforced Error Forcefulness Index is an indicator of how aggressive the average UE was. The numbers presented are keyed on 4 categories - 20 defensive, 40 neutral, 50 attacking and 60 winner attempt)

Net Points & Serve-Volley
Muster was...
- 13/23 (57%) at net, including...
- 2/3 (67%) serve-volleying, all 1st serves
---
- 1/1 forced back

Agassi was 17/28 (61%) at net

Match Report
Strange match, strange court conditions. A particularly energetic and fully engaged Muster isn’t just much better at keeping ball in play but attacks well with FH too. Agassi is all kinds of out of sorts - of game, mind, even commitment seemingly - and gets rolled over easily

Its been raining for awhile on the uncovered court and at start of match, its as slow as can be. “Mud” is a better description of it than ‘clay’. A player ripping groundstrokes from around the service line wouldn’t find it easy to hit winners against an opponent committed to chasing every ball. It gets less slow as match goes on and by third set, is playing like a normal clay court

Muster outlasts Agassi for errors without too much trouble. He seems to know what he wants out of each shot (early on, keeping it in court). Agassi plays around with all kinds of things - varying trajectory, varying how often he moves over to play FHs, depth, width, power, spin - none of it very effective

And he moves poorly. Leaving aside not giving chase to a host of retrievable balls. One of the worst displays of on-the-move and running FHs (movement required not being too taxing) you’ll see. He’s at most average of footspeed, which wasn’t the case around this period

To watch Agassi, you’d think this was a dead rubber. And if you didn’t know the year (and were ignoring clothing and hair that gives it away), might think this was 2004 to see his movement

Muster by contrast is as excitable as a kid in a candy store, spurred on by a partisan crowd that’s roaring approval right from the start whenever Agassi misses a first serve, let alone makes an UE. Flies - not ‘dives’ but flies - through the air in trying to make a volley in the very first game that even Boris Becker wouldn’t have bothered going for. Much later on, falls to the ground in excitement/celebration after making a passing shot in way that’d be effusive for anything short of winning championship point

And action? It varies some as court dries out and becomes less slow

Muster 28 winners, 30 UEs is excellent, especially for the conditions. FH, which has 20 winners, 12 UEs particularly so. The winner count is bolstered some by Agassi declining to chase some balls. Wouldn’t be easy to put in play (doubly so given how he moves and hits from defensive positions), would very likely be point ending shots, but good lot of Muster’s winners are at least get-racquet-on’able - with no racquet to be seen because Agassi hasn’t moved. BH eventually comes to do damage to with wider BH cc’s and Agassi particularly lax in moving that direction. As base, he’s very solid though again, extent of that is statistically bolstered by Agassi’s failings on the same front

Agassi’s 45 UEs outweigh Musters combined 43 winners + errors forced (and his own 38). From flourishing slices to moonballs, he cycles through different ways of taking the ball. Little of it threatening, none of it very effective in keeping ball in play for long. Its more a bad showing from him than it is good one from Muster, with polar opposite enthusiasm accentuating that perception

Stats & Action
Serve-return isn’t much of a factor and Muster has better of both sides of it

Point starting first serves from both players make-up overwhelming bulk of serves. Muster rarely able to dart a troublingly pacey, wide serve in

Agassi has both aces in the match, but breakdown of return errors point in a different direction
Return UEs - Muster 7, Agassi 9
Return FEs - Muster 1, Agassi 6

Agassi with fair few FEs is somewhat due to his movement and return position. Surprise factor of Muster’s quicker serves help but even at fastest, court is slow and Muster’s bigger serves aren’t too big. Big enough to trouble the on-baseline standing Agassi. He doesn’t move sidways for returns quickly either

Not much of a factor. Muster returning at 90%, Agassi 82% is gist of it

1 memorable drop-return from Muster. He plays around with drop shots in the match to a degree I haven’t seen from him, and I’ve never seen him play 1 of these

At start, very slow baseline rallies are stock. It almost looks like slow motion. So slow that both players have option of moving over to play FHs as they choose, and both largely do. “Attack” is limited to Agassi hitting a few would be ‘powerful’ FH inside-outs. They don’t bother Muster a bit

Muster’s far more consistent. Given conditions, rallies aren’t long. Might see 50+ shots rallies with the (lack of) force on show and 20+ regularly. By that standard, short rallies (by a normal standard, long-ish)

Court gets less slow as match goes on and action is normal clay court stuff by third set, with attacking back-court play possible

Both players moving over to play FHs fairly often. There’s little harm in it since opponent can’t hit aggressively into side of court being opened up as a result, but not much benefit either as the move-around FHs are also not damaging. In that case, only good reason for playing moving-around FHs is that one’s FH is more secure than BH

For Muster, that’s probably true. Agassi, less so but also true and largely because his BH is worse still (as opposed to his FH being so good)

Muster’s FH is exceptionally secure and has match low 12 UEs (other shots finish with 16, 18 and 24). Agassi’s FH has match high 24 UEs, but he’s played a lot more of them than the BHs that still give up 18. And does do some damage with the FHs later on. Earlier, his would-be attacking FH inside-outs don’t trouble Muster. Agassi eventually misses these types of would-be attacking FHs after 3-4 shots

 

[Waspsting]

Agassi tries a whole bunch of different things with BH. Moonballs, or quasi-moonballs where he just hits the ball up in the air (as opposed to heavy top-spinning it with high net clearance). Very rarely - just 2-3 point in match - very heavily sliced, with a big flourish. Line and cc. Doesn’t stick to anything for long, remains prone to blinking up error whatever he does. Also does his usual stuff of trying to be pressuring with flat hits some, taking ball early etc.

In time, Muster sweeps a few BH cc’s wide. One of the worst parts of Agassi’s showing is how off he is on the running FH. He’s neither quick to reach the ball and rarely able to put in play. Plenty of players who’d reach it more comfily and would expect a good clay courter to get most back in play

Muster’s indulgence is drop shots. He plays these cute BH cc drop shots that I haven’t seen him do in any other match. Misses most and loses the points when he doesn’t. Agassi isn’t quick but he is on the baseline or a pace behind and in good position to run down drop shots

Muster runs after balls like the Devil’s chasing him and is always on his toes. Agassi the opposite. Seemingly no anticipation when Muster’s lining up a big FH and doesn’t give chase much of the time. Its not quite ‘letting-winners-by’, but there is a lack of commitment to fight out points there

Winners - both 28
Errors Forced - Muster 15, Agassi 10
UEs - Muster 30, Agassi 45

Neutral UEs - Muster 14, Agassi 25
That’s just about whose better at keeping ball in play and it’s a massive lead for Muster

With 6 volley winners out of 17 net points won, virtually all of the 10 errors forced by Agassi are from net. In other words, he barely forces any errors in pure baseline rallies. Muster forces 6-8 errors, mostly wide FHs that Agassi is rarely able to make. Realizes its good to, and starts looking for wide BH cc’s, making a few attacking errors trying. He also has 3 BH cc winners in baseline rallies.

3-5 BH drop shot UEs from Muster too. He’s only got 11 attacking UEs and with most of them being BH cc’s or drop shots, it shows just successful he’s been with FH

20 winners, 12 UEs from Muster’s FH, with most UEs being neutral UEs. Even then he’s got better of Agassi’s varied but ultimately looser BH in stock exchanges. Moves over to play neutral FH inside-outs too and Agassi’s FH cc with short end of that stick too

13 of those winners are ground to ground. Helped by Agassi declining to chase and virtually give up on point when Muster goes hard and close to line. Agassi has 11 of his own, packed into last set and against a determined to chase everything. In normal conditions, Agassi probably edges FH firepower slightly (most of Muster’s winners are in third set too, though not as high a proportion as Agassi’s). Most of the match is not played in normal conditions but abnormally slow one, and Muster retains huge consistency advantage

No real damage being done in baseline rallies by Agassi’s BH. 1 cc and 1 dtl winner and certainly no systematic aggression. Muster has his wide cc shots to win points aggressively by contrast

Rallying to net - Muster 11/20, Agassi 17/28

Possible way out there for Agassi to come to net. He comes in off powerful shots without looking to. Never approaches at rate threatening to compensate for how far behind he finds himself in baseline rallies. But he does pass well and has 5 winners (discounting a very strange return-’pass’), while Muster has just 3 volleying winners

Among the surprises Muster packs is serve-volleying. In general, he slips the odd one in now and then and 3 is small enough times that that doesn’t fall outside that norm (unlike the drop shots and drop-return). His getting right into by doing so off his third service point is a unusual though

The strange return-’pass’ winner by Agassi occurs as Muster drops his racquet while coming in to serve-volley and and what would have been a high volley instead goes through for a winner. Is it a pass if the player is at net without his racquet?

Match Progression
The court is painfully slow at start. Two players trade slow groundies, both preferring to play FHs and there’s ample time to move over without hurray to do so. Agassi has a little go in trying to push towards attacking with some harder hit FH inside-outs but they’re scarcely more than a neutral shot and no trouble for Muster to handle

And Muster is a lot more consistent

Break to start the match with Agassi giving up 3 FH UEs, and Muster striking a FH lob winner. The other point is unusual. Muster playing an unexpected drop shot which Agassi runs down to hit a winner against, while Muster makes an extravagant dive to try to intercept it. Heavy stuff for first game, up 0-40 by Muster

Muster smacks a third ball FH cc winner on his first service point and throws in a serve-volley on is next first serve point. Another little surprise. Couple of BH blinks by Agassi as Muster holds
No movement from Agassi as Muster strikes a FH dtl winner to a ball well worth chasing. And more Agassi FH UEs, including consecutive inside-outs as score moves to 3-0

Muster has 2 break points for 5 love later before Agassi eventually gets on the board

In what remains, a sharply angled FH cc winner stands out for quality. In the serve-out, Agassi hard pats down a FHV in a way that would make it a winning shot on almost any surface. Here, it bounces up ever so slowly, and Muster lobs a winner

Similar basic dynamic carries on in second set (Muster winning error contest by long way), but court appear to be less slow as set goes on. Muster wins a few points with wide BH cc’s. Not particularly powerful or wide ones and would be UEs against a quick opponent. They’re FEs against a slow Agassi. Not hard forced either and would expect a good clay courter to make such balls more often than not

Drop-return from Muster comes out of the blue. He ends up winning the point too, with a net to net FH dtl winner

Muster still not facing break points, but games are longer (both players’) than first set. Muster again breaks to open, winning a couple of late points with BH cc’s. Agassi manages to stave off break point next go around, which lasts 12 points. On top of Muster’s drop-return, he strikes a perfect, needle-threading running BH dtl pass winner in the game

Agassi reaches deuce returning for first time but missing routine returns help Muster hold for 4-2. Which becomes 5-2 before Muster serves out to 15

Third set is more or less normal clay court conditions, with power based attacks capable of pushing opponent back and doing damage. Agassi saves break point to hold first game and then breaks to love with Muster giving up ground errors quickly, including 2 third ball misses

Agassi’s got break point for 4-0 too, after coming away with a running BHV winner against a Muster drop shot, before showing him how its done with FH drop shot winner. Muster erases the break chance with prejudice, dispatching a third ball FH winner from close to service line and taking net to get on the board

And Muster breaks to get things back on serve, notwithstanding Agassi opening the game with a running FH dtl winner against a wide BH cc; the only good one he has all match and 1 of the only ones he doesn’t miss altogether

Doesn’t win another point in the game though. Nice, rolled FH cc passing winner followed by a FH inside-out one raise break point, in which Muster hammers a winning, runaround FH inside-in return. 3-2 Agassi, on serve

No more breaks, break points or deuce games from then on. 5/7 remaining go to 30, the other 2 to 15. Sound, decent tennis. Agassi spends a game viciously carve-slicing BHs for fun, after hitting a forced slice dtl passing winner

Tiebreak. Agassi mishits third ball FH out to go down 0-1, Muster double faults to return mini-break for 1-1

Muster takes control from then on. His falling-to-the-ground celebration after striking a BH cc pass winner is on par with some Slam championship points, with the crowd eating it up. He finishes with 3 winners in last 4 points (third ball BH cc, a FHV after overpowering Agassi from back and another BH cc with Agassi standing around on other side where he’s been moved making no effort to cover the the ball)

Summing up, odd match on a court that starts off slow as can be, getting less slow as match wears on and it dries out. Muster is much better at keeping the ball in play, regardless of whatever Agassi tries (varying trajectory, using FH more, falling back or taking ball early)

Muster’s also bursting with enthusiasm and energy, while Agassi’s flat and uninspired, almost like he’s playing a dead rubber. Also, slow in moving to FH side in particular and frequently making no effort to defend when its possible to do

Good match from Muster - especially all around with his FH and in time, his wide BH cc scoring against a below-par opponent. More than that, a weak, flat one from Agassi who seems to have no idea how to handle the conditions and looks like he’d rather be anywhere else than on court