Why was Tiger Woods' former girlfriend in Jannik Sinner's box at US Open?

Tiger Woods’ former girlfriend Lindsey Vonn was a surprise face in Jannik Sinner’s box during the US Open tennis final against Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday, sparking plenty of speculation among fans.

The American ski legend, who won Olympic gold in 2010 and is one of the most decorated skiers in history, was seated directly behind Sinner’s team at Flushing Meadows. 

Vonn had a romantic relationship with golf legend Woods between 2013 and 2015.

After splitting with Vonn, the PGA Tour superstar got into a relationship with Erica Herman in 2017 only for that relationship to end five years later.

In 2022, Vonn openly spoke about her relationship with Woods during an interview with ET Online, making it clear she remains friends with him. 

Woods then confirmed earlier this season he is now happily dating Vanessa Trump, the former wife of Donald Trump Jr. 

Some reports surfaced over the summer that Woods is so in love right now that he is planning a proposal to Vanessa. 

Woods has only been married once to Elin Nordegren between 2004 and 2010. 

Nordegren had a hilarious reaction when finding out Woods was dating a Trump. 

But back to the top of the story, and why Woods' ex-girlfriend Vonn was sat in Sinner's box during the 2025 US Open final on Sunday. 

Despite recent social media rumours linking the Italian tennis ace with various models and celebrities, there is no suggestion Vonn and Sinner are romantically linked.

Sinner has never disclosed his girlfriend but he reportedly has a wallaper photo of Danish model Laila Hasanovic on his phone. 

Vonn and Sinner are said to have bonded in recent years as a result of their skiing backgrounds. 

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Before choosing tennis, Sinner was an elite junior skier in northern Italy, and he and Vonn hit the slopes together in 2024.

Speaking to the ATP last year, Vonn explained why she felt such a connection with the Italian star:

“I always thought it was really special that he 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.”

Vonn has also praised Sinner’s composure under pressure, comparing it to the fearlessness needed in skiing:

“If he’s under pressure and has to serve on match point, his perspective is that if he misses, nothing happens. It’s not like skiing, where one wrong turn can cause a crash. That fearlessness is something he uses to his advantage.”

She even drew comparisons with Roger Federer, saying Sinner is “a great athlete, very smart and someone who’s going to be around for a long time.”

Sinner went on to lose 3-1 to Spanish superstar Carlos Alcaraz, who clinched his second US Open title to move back to World No.1.

Alcaraz was followed closely en route to US Open glory by his good friend Sergio Garcia, who spoke exclusively to GolfMagic last week. 

Garcia told us that he withdrew from last week's Irish Open as a result of not making the European Ryder Cup team.

Read our full exclusive with Garcia here.

Garcia then told us later in the week that he played a golf match with Alcaraz before his semi-final at the US Open.

Alcaraz joined Garcia's Fireballs GC teammate David Puig, while Garcia partnered Alcaraz's tennis coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Puig and Alcaraz won the match 1up on the 18th green.