Lindsey Vonn reacts after Rafael Nadal's second-round exit at Barcelona Open

By Nandika Chand

Modified Apr 19, 2024 03:51 GMT

Retired alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn is a passionate tennis fan. Vonn recently reacted to 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal exiting the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell after a second-round loss.

Nadal was looking to make a swift comeback after he suffered an injury setback during the Brisbane International earlier this year. After withdrawing from the Qatar Open in February and India Wells in March, Nadal's fans were hoping for him to have a good run at the Barcelona Open.

Following a first-round win over Flavio Cobolli, Nadal was defeated in straight sets by the in-form Alex de Minaur, much to the dismay of the Spaniard's fans.

Lindsey Vonn posted an Instagram story of her comment on the official ATP account, expressing her sadness at Nadal's exit from the clay-court event.

"I can't handle this," Vonn wrote, followed by a crying emoji.

Lindsey Vonn's Instagram story

Lindsey Vonn cheered for Rafael Nadal at Netflix Slam

Lindsey Vonn at the Netflix Slam, A Live Netflix Sports Event

Lindsey Vonn was one of the many celebrities in attendance at The Netflix Slam, a match between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz on March 4.

Nadal, 37, won the opening set but Wimbledon champion Alcaraz fought back to take the second. After a scintillating battle between the two Spaniards, the 20-year-old ended up winning the match 3-6, 6-4,14-12.

Nadal lauded Alcaraz in an interview after the match. He was quoted by Sky Sports as saying:

"It's a good thing that as a player I will not face him many times. As a fan, I will enjoy watching him for many years hopefully."

The former World No. 1 added:

"In Spain, we should be very, very happy about having someone like Carlos coming. He's only 20-years old and he's already won two Grand Slams and a couple of important tournaments."

Vonn later took to X (formerly Twitter) to express her excitement about the event. Touching on the controversial 'GOAT subject' she had earlier found herself caught up in, she responded to one of the comments under her post and said:

"I think the big 3 are goats. Their impact in the sport can't be denied. And also, it's just my opinion so... @RafaelNadal"

Vonn retired from professional alpine skiing in February 2019 and dedicates most of her time to her passion for women's empowerment, attending sporting events, and hitting the slopes now and then.