grigs, 
25 years ago the #1 and #2 web design mistakes on this list were related to opening links in new windows. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/the-top-ten-web-design-mistakes-of-1999/
Opening links in new tabs or windows has a long history that predates many current tech trends that might explain it.
For 25 years, people have argued that opening links in new windows will keep people on your site.
In 25 years, no one has bothered to measure this to see if it is true?
