The global sports world paused in unison after Lindsey Vonn suffered a harrowing crash during her long-awaited Olympic return. Legends and active players alike, including Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, Ana Ivanovic, and Eva Lys, publicly voiced their worry and support after the American star was airlifted from the slopes at the Milano Cortina Winter Games.
Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, and Others Shower Support on Lindsey Vonn
As updates filtered out, messages of support poured in from across the sports landscape, with tennis voices especially prominent. Seven-time Grand Slam champion, Alcaraz, took to his Instagram stories to reshare the incident and wrote, “We’re thinking of you @lindseyvonn!❤”
Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion known for his own battles with injury, shared a message on X, praising Vonn’s resilience and calling her an inspiration, urging her to stay strong and recover quickly.
“💪🏼 @lindseyvonn, you are a great inspiration and an example of perseverance. Stay strong and get well soon! 😘”
💪🏼 @lindseyvonn, you are a great inspiration and an example of perseverance.
Stay strong and get well soon! 😘
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) February 8, 2026
Ivanovic, the former World No. 1 and French Open champion, echoed that sentiment with a heartfelt note expressing concern and wishing Vonn a speedy recovery. “Get well soon, @lindseyvonn❤️🩹 My heart goes out to you, and I wish you a speedy recovery!”
Get well soon, @lindseyvonn ❤️🩹 My heart goes out to you, and I wish you a speedy recovery!
— Ana Ivanovic (@anaivanovic) February 8, 2026
Lys, representing the younger generation of the sport, posted a brief emotional reaction filled with heartbreak emojis. “Lindsey 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔”
Vonn’s Crash at the Milano Cortina Winter Games Casts Doubt on Skiing Future
Vonn’s highly anticipated Olympic comeback came to a tragic and violent end on Sunday, Feb. 8, during the women’s downhill final at the Milano Cortina Winter Games. Competing at 41 years old and just nine days after fully rupturing her left ACL in a World Cup event, Vonn pushed out of the gate with her signature aggression.
However, disaster struck a mere 13 seconds into her run on the iconic Olympia delle Tofane course in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The accident began when Vonn appeared to clip the fourth gate with her right arm or ski pole, a subtle contact that proved catastrophic at high speed. The impact jerked her off balance, sending her airborne and spinning sideways.
She landed heavily on the hard-packed snow, with her skis nearly perpendicular to the fall line, and cartwheeled violently down the slope. Broadcast microphones captured her screaming in pain as she slid to a halt, and she was heard crying out that she was unable to remove her skis.
The race was immediately halted for over 10 minutes as a medical team stabilized her on the piste. Given the severity of the tumble and the concern for her previously injured knee, Vonn was strapped into a gurney and airlifted by helicopter from the mountain. She was initially taken to a clinic in Cortina before being transferred to Ca’ Foncello Hospital in Treviso for specialized care.
Medical officials later confirmed that Vonn suffered a fracture in her left leg, the same leg that had sustained the ACL rupture just over a week prior, suffered a crash in the upper section of the “Mont Lachaux” course during her final World Cup tune-up in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. She underwent emergency orthopedic surgery the same day to stabilize the bone.
While she remains stable under the care of a joint team of American and Italian physicians, the injury has effectively ended her Olympic campaign and cast significant doubt on the future of her professional skiing career. Despite the somber atmosphere following her crash, her teammate Breezy Johnson went on to win the gold medal.
