On Wednesday, February 17, Lindsey Vonn won Olympic gold in the downhill at the Vancouver Games. Below is an interview with Vonn, a tennis fanatic, conducted last fall with TENNIS.com's Sarah Thurmond.
Two-time defending World Cup overall champion Lindsey Vonn (née Kildow) is considered the greatest alpine skier of her generation, and the United States’ best shot for a gold medal in skiing at the Vancouver Olympics in February. Last month Vonn, 25, spoke to TENNIS from her home base in Vail, Colo., where she lives with her husband, Thomas. The topics: Her love of the game, how it helps her train for the slopes, and her favorite player, Roger Federer. An excerpt of this interview appears in the January/February 2010 issue of TENNIS.
TENNIS.com: You’ve become an avid tennis player. When did you take up tennis?
Lindsey Vonn: I started playing four years ago. I mostly got into it because my husband is into it. He played in high school, so he’s pretty good. It’s something that we really have fun doing together. We played a ton this summer, at least three days a week. I got some lessons, not very many, but enough to teach me the basics. I’m not that good still, but I really enjoy it so I think that’s what really matters.
Has tennis helped you with your skiing?
Tennis is really good for my agility and my hand-eye coordination. I’m constantly trying to be more agile. It’s really tricky in ski racing because you want to be strong and powerful, but you also want to be quick and agile. Tennis is a good way for me to stay light and quick on my feet, and be able to move my body well. It’s really good cross-training for me. It’s helped with my coordination. I have terrible hand-eye coordination. I never was good at ball sports as a kid. Because I’m working on my hand-eye coordination in tennis, it’s definitely helping me on the slopes. My depth perception and body awareness has gotten much better because of tennis.
When you’re training for your season, are you able to play that much?
Not in the winter. My schedule is so tight I have no time. I got one day on the court in November. It’s pretty much no tennis until probably April or May.
Let’s talk about gear. What racquet do you use?
Head. It’s pretty sweet because we tested a bunch of racquets a couple years ago, and I switched to Head. Then, I actually switched my ski company to Head this year, so I got a ton of new racquets. I tested out the [Novak] Djokovic and [Andy] Murray racquets. I like the Radical, but I just got Djokovic’s racquet. I don’t know what the model is called, but I love it. [Editor’s note: Novak Djokovic plays with Head’s YouTek Speed Pro.]
The French Open final was the first time you attended a professional tennis match. What was that like?
The atmosphere was amazing. To see [Federer] play in one of his historic matches; it was just an amazing day.
During NBC’s coverage of the French Open final, Mary Carillo said you were a “Federer freak.” Is that an accurate description?
Well, she may be exaggerating a little bit. But he’s just amazing and definitely an inspiration to a lot of people and to professional athletes.
Do you remember the first time you saw Federer play?
Yes, he was playing Sampras at the U.S. Open. I was really impressed.
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Vonn won gold medals in the downhill and super-G at the 2009 World Championships. (Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images)You got to meet him after this year’s French Open final. What was your first impression when you met him?**
I thought he was a lot taller. On TV, he looks a little bit skinny. You can’t really see his height. When I saw him in person, he really had a big presence. He had a much bigger presence than I was anticipating. He was a tall guy, had broad shoulders, and didn’t look small at all.
Did he know who you were?
He said he knew who I was, but I wasn’t sure if he was just saying that to be nice. But I got to meet him again after the final at Wimbledon, and he remembered me. I got to spend a little bit more time with him and his family [at] a little after-party at the Rolex suite in the stadium. It was funny because his whole family knew who I was. When we got to the party, his mom was like, “I know you.” I was like, “No, you don’t.” She’s like, “No, I do. You’re Lindsey Vonn, right?” It was so cool. They’re all pretty big ski fans. They wanted to take pictures with me. It was surreal for me. It was right before his daughters were born, so [his wife] Mirka was really pregnant. She was so nice.
You once said you wanted to pick his brain about being a professional athlete. Have you had a chance to do that yet?
No, it hasn’t been the right time for that. But I’m hoping at some point we can just sit down and talk about how he handles everything, especially the Wimbledon final [which] was insane. I just wonder how he managed to pull it off, what he was thinking about, and how he deals with pressure and stress. It’s really hard being a top athlete and he definitely knows how to do it and do it very well. I’m honestly very curious to see how he does it.
You also got to hit with Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon. How was that?
It was really cool. But it was my first time playing on grass, and I was not used to it, so I’m sure she thinks I’m terrible.
Did she offer tips?
Yes. My volleys are terrible. My backhand is pretty good, but my forehand is not that good. She was giving me some pointers and it definitely helped me. Our deal was if she teaches me some tennis, I’ll take her skiing.
Have you met any other players?
I met Venus at the ESPYs [in 2008]. She was really interested [in skiing] and how my training was going, and when we start racing and how many races we have in a year. It was a really nice conversation. She has a big presence, too. You see people on TV and you assume things about them just from the way they are on TV. She definitely was much nicer in person than I expected. She had a beautiful dress on and looked really great. It was a pleasant surprise.
Are there any other players that you like to watch?
I like to watch Murray and [Andy] Roddick. I think Roddick seems like a pretty good guy. I follow Roddick on Twitter. Murray hasn’t been writing too much since Wimbledon [on Twitter]. It’s been really interesting for me to follow tennis players and see what they’re doing, how they’re training. I follow Sam Querrey, too. It’s insightful most of the time what they’re writing.
So how does your husband feel about your obsession with Federer?
Well he’s obsessed, too, so it’s good. For me it’s more professional. I admire what he’s done in his career. It’s really inspiring to me. My husband just loves his tennis game. We’re equally fanatical about Federer.
As if I have to ask, who do you think is the G.O.A.T.?
It’s obvious. I loved Agassi when I was younger, but Roger is pretty much the real deal. He’s the full package. He’s not only one of the most successful tennis players of all time, but he’s also just a great guy, great character, great representative of tennis. I definitely think he’s the G.O.A.T.
Sarah Thurmond is an associate editor for TENNIS. Follow her on Twitter.