Lindsey Vonn likens Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner to tennis great Roger Federer after Australian Open win

ByAlex Livie

Updated 03/02/2024 at 09:04 GMT

Jannik Sinner is likely still basking in the glory of breaking his major duck at the Australian Open. He can also take note of comparisons to Roger Federer from Lindsey Vonn. Vonn, a friend of Sinner and a fan of tennis, feels the 22-year-old can only improve now he has got a first Grand Slam under his belt and expects him to take his game to a new level.

Skiing superstar Lindsey Vonn has likened Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner to tennis legend Roger Federer.

Vonn has known the rising star of tennis for a number of years, with Sinner describing the time they skied together in 2022 as “truly special”.

They have also shared a tennis court together - and Vonn has watched his progress with interest.

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Vonn was cheering on from afar as Sinner made his way through the draw at the Australian Open.

Sinner completed a stunning comeback from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev to win his first Grand Slam, and the only surprise for Vonn was that his first major did not arrive sooner.

“He's just a great athlete, very smart and I'm not surprised that he won Australia,” 2010 Olympic downhill champion Vonn told ATPTour.com. “I thought he would win before he did, but he's someone that's going to be around for a long time.”

Debate continues to rage as to the GOAT of the men’s game. Swiss master Federer - together with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic - is in that conversation, and Vonn feels the fearless attitude Sinner has on court reminds her of the 20-time Grand Slam champion.

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“He really reminds me of Roger, to be honest,” Vonn said. “If he's under pressure, and he's got to serve, he's got match point or something, the perspective is that if he misses the point, nothing is going to happen.

“It's not like in skiing, where if you don't take the turn right, you crash, and you could potentially hurt yourself very badly.

“So it's the kind of fearlessness that he puts everything out there no matter what the situation. And that perspective, I think, is really different from most people, most athletes, and I think he uses that to his advantage.”

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At 22, Sinner has time on his side to improve and add to his major tally - and Vonn feels the Italian will take his game to a new level.

“In just the few years that I've known him, I definitely see his confidence level growing,” Vonn said. “He's talked about it publicly, but [he is] just getting stronger physically.

“He's a really tall, lanky man and he's definitely trying to fill that out and get stronger. But he's just maturing, he's growing and he's only going to get better.

“I'm excited to watch him continue to succeed in his career.”

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