“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, ...

As Stefanos Tsitsipas loads up and uncoils into a full-swing, his broad shoulders rotate and in a blink, the racquet violently explodes into the ball. His right arm continues carving an arc, a ...