I’m a delusional tennis player. Not the kind who brags about his excellence on court. (I’m a middle-aged weekend warrior; let’s be real.) But the kind who watches match highlights on YouTube all year, treating the shots and tactics there like a how-to manual. Carlos Alcaraz blasted an inside-out forehand and then finished his opponent with a perfect stop-volley. I can do that! No, sir, you cannot.

Watching the U.S. Open up close, the reason is clear. When you see how fast the ball moves, when you hear the pop of the racket, when you witness players screeching to a halt using their sneakers like hockey skates, you understand that the pros play a totally different game from the one that 26 million American hobbyists play. It’s a show of acrobatics, power, endurance and mental toughness.

Millions of us don’t get to see it in person. So I asked Matthew Futterman — who covers tennis for our sister publication, The Athletic, and basically lives at Flushing Meadows for two weeks — about the big show, which ends today in a clash between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

There’s great spirit at the Australian Open, surprise upsets at the French Open and vaunted tradition at Wimbledon. So why does the U.S. Open feel so much more alive than the other majors?

It’s the only Grand Slam where the fans actually look like the population of the city, especially during the first week, when the tickets are more affordable and so many matches are on smaller courts outside the stadium. You really saw it this year during the mixed doubles the week before the tournament, when tickets for Louis Armstrong Stadium were free and fans got to watch some of the best players in the world compete for a big prize. And remember, it’s held in a city-owned park. Those outdoor courts are public courts that we can play on during the year. It’s not a private club. That’s huge.