We asked Mr. Earley how he has seen the U.S. Open change since 1981.

Mr. Earley said the “look and feel” of the tournament is markedly different from when he started as a 29-year-old.

“It used to be a tennis tournament,” he said, “but now, it’s a festival.”

Walk the grounds at Arthur Ashe Stadium today and you’ll hear music and roaring fans. But in Mr. Earley’s early days, it was quiet.

“Tennis was the game where the chair umpire would say, ‘Shhh! Shhh!’ and they’d have to wait for everything to be quiet for somebody to hit a serve,” he said. “Some players still like it to be that way, but we ain’t waiting for it.”

“The New York crowd has always been the most vocal,” he added, “but the music and all of the festivities that surround the event, that guy up in the stands who dances on the changeovers, people screaming and yelling during the point — 20 years ago, that just didn’t happen.”

Technology has been another major change. When Mr. Earley began working at the tournament, there were no big screens and electronic review boards. “Players would have to live with the call of the officials, and sometimes, it was wrong,” he said. “Now it’s an electronic world of electronic review and being able to challenge a line call.”