It began with a human traffic jam and could end with a Grand Slam. There were unprecedented and initially confusing medical requirements and a massive storm that stranded spectators and flooded courts. Some of the game’s biggest stars did not play, but a host of intriguing new ones took advantage of their absence and electrified audiences that seemed to make more noise than ever.
The 2021 U.S. Open has by no means been normal. Attendance is down and the competition is up, but amid a fluctuating pandemic, it has been a notable milestone on the road to tennis, and perhaps civic, normality.