Lindsey Vonn stepped into a different kind of arena this weekend, appearing at the International Tennis Hall of Fame as Roger Federer and Mary Carillo were celebrated in the Class of 2026.
The Olympic alpine champion was part of induction weekend on the grass courts of the historic Newport Casino. Friday’s Celebrity Pro Classic opened the festivities, with Vonn starting the program from the umpire’s chair before taking the court herself among Hall of Famers and special guests. She later summed up the assignment in typical fashion: first time as an umpire, not sure she was any good at it, but they had a blast.
The images from Newport captured the crossover. Vonn appeared in tennis whites on the same lawns that hosted Federer, John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova and other legends ahead of Saturday’s induction ceremony. Photographers on site included Joseph Prezioso for AFP via Getty Images, along with Clive Brunskill and official International Tennis Hall of Fame coverage distributed through Getty.
For Vonn, the weekend was less a career switch than a public thank-you to a sport that had checked in during her recovery from the 2026 Olympic downhill crash. Tennis stars had sent support while she was still in hospital. In Rhode Island she returned the visit — officiating, competing in exhibition points against champions such as Garbiñe Muguruza, and standing in the middle of Federer’s homecoming.
The Hall of Fame framed the days as reunion and celebration. Vonn’s presence gave the gallery an unexpected extra frame: a ski racer in tennis kit, on grass, laughing at the new job and still competing anyway.
