Is this happening for anyone else? It's really annoying.
Hello fearofbirds,
Welcome to the Apple Support Communities, and it appears there is some unresponsiveness when opening a link in a new tab. We'll be more than happy to help make sure it is working normally.
If you haven't already, restart your Mac from the Apple () menu then Restart.
To narrow it down, also be sure to open Safari in safe mode and try opening a link in a new tab from there: How to use safe mode on your Mac
Take care!