After two long years of waiting, fans were elated to return to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for the US Open. But as with almost everything else, the COVID-19 pandemic has left an imprint on tennis, too.
From a reckoning over mental health in professional sports and a migration towards touchless technology in the stadium to a changing of the talent guard — both the way fans enjoy tennis and the players they’re watching have changed.
NHL players will be allowed to use Pride tape this season after all with the reversal of a ban that sparked a backlash around hockey and among LGBTQ+ advocates in sports.