At 40, hardly anyone counted on Lindsey Vonn in the race of youngsters and top-fit skiers. But she has made a solid return in her first World Cup Downhill race after 2019. In Saint Anton, she took sixth place, representing Team USA. Furthermore, in the absence of Mikaela Shiffrin, the number of ski racing fans betting on Team USA’s prospects in the ongoing FIS World Cup 2024 also went south. But Vonn proved every calculation wrong and showed that she is still a force to be reckoned with in Alpine ski racing. Coincidentally, almost at the same time, Janik Sinner shared a few words about the ski racer. 

The Italian tennis player is all set to start his journey in the Australian Open on January 13. In the first round, he will match up against Nicolas Jarry. An easy fight? The tennis fans will have to wait for a few more hours to know that. But his ski racing fans can be assured of one thing. What’s that? Sinner still rates Lindsey Vonn very highly. 

On January 11, Eurosport Italia’s Instagram handle shared a clip, displaying Sinner’s take on the contemporary ski racers. Experienced in competitive ski racing, the tennis player knows one or two things about the sport, and he also keeps tabs on the happenings in ski racing. Based on that knowledge, Sinner explained his top list of ski racers, currently active. 

Notably, Lindsey Vonn came to the top position on that list. And did her current teammate, Mikaela Shiffrin’s name, come into the discussion? Yes. How could Shiffrin be away from the list? However, the current ATP top ranker counted Shiffrin as the 4th on his list. The second place, rather, went to Sofia Goggia, the Italian ski racing legend. So, Sinner remained true to his choice while making the list. For that, he even ignored the ski racing legend from his country and counted Vonn as the topper. Also, the humble tennis champion kept himself in the fourth position on the list. But here’s a fun fact. Lindsey Vonn felt those characters beforehand, and she praised him for that. 

Last year, after Jannik Sinner’s victory at the Australian Open, Vonn sat with ATPTour.com. In the interaction, she shared her take on Sinner. Notably, the four-time world champion had experience of skiing with Sinner. In those prized moments, she earned her chance to know him better. In the interaction, her memory of those moments helped her to explain how Sinner is as a person and athlete. She eventually said, “He’s [Janik] a pretty shy guy, but he’s really humble and always super kind. I think he has just a great perspective on the sport and I think to a degree, some of that comes from skiing. We’ve talked about it quite a few times.” Not only that, she found a bit of Roger Federer in him. How?

According to Lindsey, Janik Sinner has every quality to run for a long time. He could become a successor of all the prominent names in tennis, such as Federer. “He’s just a great athlete, very smart and I’m not surprised that he won Australia. I thought he would win before he did, but he’s someone that’s going to be around for a long time. And he really reminds me of Roger, to be honest,” Vonn claimed without any ambiguity. Having known Federer for years, the ski racer can spot similar characters in any individual. Sinner is now that individual. But those aren’t the only things Vonn had to say about the two-time Grand Slam winner. There are a few more. 

Lindsey Vonn shares a memorable chapter with Jannik Sinner

In 2022, Lindsey Vonn and Jannik Sinner had a few skiing moments on the latter’s home mountain. They also spent a few moments playing tennis. The moments may have seemed quite usual. But those left a lasting impression in Vonn’s mind about him. In her interaction with ATP Tour, the former Winter Olympian claimed, “He’s really tall, so the taller you are, I think the more difficult it is to ski. But I think it’s similar to his tennis. He’s very fluid and elegant and he’s able to carve and make really nice turns and it seems really effortless for him.” Along with that, she also showed her hope for Sinner’s confidence level, which reached a great level in recent times. Also, she didn’t let the bond between her and the tennis phenom go loose. 

After the moments in 2022, Lindsey Vonn wished him luck in 2023, just before his Australian Open final. In her Instagram story, she put the caption, “Let’s f***ing go Jan!!!” It felt almost surreal as, after a few hours, the Italian youth claimed the Australian Open title. It is almost the same time of the year. The Australian Open is on the cards and Lindsey Vonn has also made her comeback. Sinner has already done his job, showing his hope for Vonn’s supremacy. Will there be any message from her in the coming days? What do you think?