Alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn has lavished praise on Jannik Sinner, drawing a parallel between him and tennis legend Roger Federer.

Sinner recently won his maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, staging a remarkable comeback to overcome a two-set deficit and claim a 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Daniil Medvedev in the final. With the win, the Italian became the youngest man to triumph at the Melbourne Slam since Novak Djokovic in 2008.

Vonn, who had expressed her support for Sinner ahead of the title clash, congratulated the Italian on his triumph and humorously lauded him as the ‘best skier’ to win a Major title, given his background in competitive skiing.

Vonn shared an insight into her connection with Sinner in a recent interview, disclosing that they bonded over their mutual love for skiing. She described the tennis star as a humble and kind person, shedding light on his “shy” nature. The American also shared her appreciation for the 22-year-old’s perspective on tennis, attributing it to his skiing background.

“I always thought it was really special that he [Jannik Sinner] was a former ski racer and that’s obviously where we connected. He’s 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,” she told ATPTour.com.

Vonn expressed her lack of surprise at his Australian Open win, disclosing that she had expected him to win a Grand Slam title even sooner. The former Olympic gold medalist then compared the Italian to Roger Federer, stating that he reminded her of the Swiss legend.

“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,” she added.