How can something so beautiful to watch, a stroke so etched into tennis history, be so exploitable — and why have a dwindling handful of players remained loyal to it? By Matthew Futterman Reporting ...

“Ashe’s backhand is one of the touchstones of modern tennis,” John McPhee wrote in his 1969 book Levels of the Game. “He can underspin it, roll it, hit it flat. He can cradle the ball on his racquet, ...