Lindsey Vonn says Jannik Sinner’s skating background helped her move at Wimbledon

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Lindsey Vonn says Jannik Sinner’s skating background helped her move at Wimbledon

LONDON (AP) – Clay, grass, hard court – or snow.

The area underfoot doesn’t seem to make a difference to Jannik Sinner.

The top-ranked player – who is currently defending his title at Wimbledon – was one of Italy’s top tennis players before turning his full-time attention to tennis.

Now Sinner is going over all kinds of courts and his background as a skater probably helped his tennis game.

Like a slalom skier who smoothly shifts his weight back and forth from one gate to the next, Sinner never seems off balance as he sprints back and forth across the baseline — despite his tall and thin 6-foot-3 (1.91-meter) frame.

Fellow tennis player Casper Ruud admitted that the most impressive thing about Sinner is his movement.

“He’s strong and balanced and flexible enough to get into certain positions,” said Ruud. “He moves well at the hip and can slide (into) both corners.”

Skiing star Lindsey Vonn also pointed to Sinner’s ability to stay balanced.

“She has an amazing kinesthetic sense, which is an important skill in both sports,” Vonn told the Associated Press. “He is very aware of his body in space and time, so even though he is tall, he moves in a soft and harmonious way.”

Sinner won the national figure skating championship at the age of eight and placed second in the Italians at the age of 12.

In the 2009 slalom won by Sinner, Giovanni Franzoni – a drop-off last season – finished 12th, four seconds behind.

Franzoni is now Kitzbühel’s downhill champion and Olympic silver medalist.

“I was really good,” Sinner said after his first Grand Slam title in 2024. “But then I had a couple of seasons where I started competing with older athletes in slalom and giant slalom and when downhill came into the picture I got too light weight to compete.

“So I continued to play tennis,” Sinner added. “In skiing, if you make a mistake you’re out; it’s a dangerous sport and you need to get up early in the morning and go outside in the coldest place. Tennis is easy. In the end I think I made the right choice.”

Vonn, who shares the same sponsor as Sinner, once hit the slopes with the tennis star.

“She swings the same way she plays tennis; she’s fluid, she’s smooth, and she makes it look easy,” Vonn said in her written comments. “His knees and hips stay in line and he stays balanced. I really enjoyed skiing with him and hope to do it again, but after his tennis career!”

Many elite skaters include tennis in their summer training regimen. Bode Miller, Vonn’s fellow Olympic champion was a high school tennis player in Maine and his family ran a tennis school in New Hampshire. He once tried to qualify for the US Open.

“I love playing tennis. It’s good for my footwork, mental strength and general running,” Vonn said. “I know a few tennis players who play tennis as a form of exercise. It’s a way to push yourself physically and mentally. When you’re physically exhausted, you have to stay sane and cool under pressure. I love that about tennis.”

Vonn was the best player in the World Cup last season at the age of 41 until a collision at the Milan Cortina Olympics in February left him with a severe fracture of his left leg.

Ruud, who is from Norway, was also a skier when he was younger, “but I don’t move as well as him,” he said of Sinner.

“I really don’t believe it because he used to skate when he was young, that’s why he walks so well,” said Ruud. “I mean, look at (Carlos) Alcaraz: He didn’t ski and he walks very well.”

Ultimately, Ruud suggested, it’s only healthy for kids to try as many sports as possible.

“Whatever it is, whether it’s skiing, running, golf. Doing things that keep you busy is good. I’ve never seen Jannik’s skiing without videos. It would be fun to do a skiing competition one day,” said Ruud with a smile.

Kostyuk’s gymnastics and backflips

When Marta Kostyuk won the Madrid Open in May, she did her traditional title celebration: a backflip.

It was a nod to the Ukrainian athlete’s background in gymnastics, a sport she practiced until she was 11 years old.

Although Kostyuk appreciated the physical aspect of gymnastics, it was a stressful sport for him outside the gym.

“I had to be very white. I had to control what I ate. I would weigh myself 20-30 times a day from 8 to 10 years old,” said Kostyuk. “That had some consequences for me, obviously I had to work.”

Kostyuk also tore his abductor tendon while doing gymnastics as a child, which he called a “really big injury.

“That had consequences in my work as well,” he said. “I fixed myself but it took some time. I don’t know about Jannik and if he was injured badly but I was there so there are always two sides. But it definitely helped my tennis and I’m glad I came out better on the other side.”

Cobolli’s soccer skills

French Open runner-up Flavio Cobolli was a talented soccer player and member of the Roma youth team until he decided to focus fully on tennis.

“I have good physical ability and strength, maybe football helped me (in that department),” said Cobolli.

Many of the footballers he used to train with as a child are now professionals and remain good friends, such as Watford midfielder Edoardo Bove, Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori, Atalanta defender Nicola Zalewski and Lazio winger Matteo Cancellieri.