What’s the Relation Between Lindsey Vonn and Jannik Sinner? Olympics Legend Spotted in Finalist’s Box at US Open

A star-studded Arthur Ashe Stadium for the 2025 US Open final, and so is Jannik Sinner’s box. In his corner were his team, his coaches, and notably an Olympian Champion who had predicted Sinner’s steady rise a while back. Lindsey Vonn, arguably the greatest skier the USA has produced, is Team Sinner, especially as the two athletes have known each other for a while.

The connection happens to be two-way. Sinner started as a skier himself and was a competitive skier in her younger days, who still spends his holidays gliding through the ice from time to time. And in 2021, their paths crossed. Incidentally, that was also at Flushing Meadows, as a sponsor event brought them together.

Similarly, Vonn is also a tennis fan, which led to the fateful meet in 2021. The veteran skier actually saw glimpses of Roger Federer in a young Sinner back then. The 40-year-old skier opened up about their relationship in an interview with ‘Repubblica’. “I’m often in contact with Jannik, we’re very good friends … I’m sure we’ll ski together again sooner or later,” the 2010 Olympic Champion said, according to Team World USA.

And they made it happen soon after in March, as the two linked up on the snowy slopes of the Alps. Vonn has been a fan of Sinner for a while now. Be it after the Italian won his first Grand Slam, or as the World No. 1 secured his first Wimbledon in 2024, the 2-time World Champion has always backed Jannik Sinner to achieve greater things. “So proud of you, my friend! … What a journey and it’s only just getting started!”, the Minnesota-born skier said on Instagram, congratulating the 24-year-old on his Wimbledon success.

The US Open final hasn’t gone the way Team Sinner would have wanted, but it’s a long journey. With the final Slam of the year getting wrapped up, Jannik Sinner will have some time to recharge his batteries before the Nitto ATP Finals. And that might just take the 4-time Grand Slam Champion back to the snow. And guess what? Vonn has words of praise for Sinner’s skiing skills, too.

A crafty skier, too, Jannik Sinner

The decision to make tennis the long-term option was Sinner’s himself. And this was due to the razor-thin margins that come with skiing. “The reason why I chose tennis was that in tennis, you can make mistakes,” the 2024 Australian Open Champion said to Vogue in 2024. “You can lose points but still win the match. In skiing, if you make one big mistake, you cannot win.”

And even though Jannik Sinner started well on the snow, his skinny, lanky physique meant skiing was no longer suiting him as he grew older. As losses piled up, tennis became the solution. But the foundations on the snow seem to be strong for the Italian, who skied with Vonn once in 2022, and skied well. “I was actually pretty nervous skiing with him,” Lindsey Vonn said to ATPTour.com. “I didn’t want to be the reason that something happened, and he got hurt. But after skiing with him, it’s clear that that’s not going to happen. He’s very skilled and he’s a really elegant skier.”

In fact, the unforgiving precision of skiing must have moulded his mindset to play sharp, consistent, and precise tennis. That is the cornerstone of Jannik Sinner’s tennis, and something that was probably missing on September 7. On the flip side, the forgiving nature of tennis allows Sinner to take the aggressive route, which paid off at Wimbledon 2 months ago.

Weird how skiing continues to impact his tennis journey, not to mention his life, as Jannik Sinner’s first love is the snow.