The United States Open completed a massive renovation project around the grounds in time for its 50th anniversary this year.
But with the construction crews gone and the tournament underway, the tournament still had work to do beyond its physical structures.
The tournament, which in 1973 became the first of the Grand Slams to offer equal prize money to men and women, has been nimbly patching cracks in its proud foundation of gender equality.
First, the tournament instituted a 10-minute break for men’s singles players, who play a best-of-five-set format, after the third set. The women have had such a break in extreme heat after the second set in their best-of-three matches for years.