Lindsey Vonn Proudly Shows Off Surgery Scars in Skin-Tight US Open Look

Lindsey Vonn wasn't trying to hide what she has been through.
Six months after a horrifying crash at the 2026 Winter Olympics left her with devastating injuries, the 41-year-old skiing legend stepped onto the blue carpet at the US Open on Sunday, Aug. 30, looking remarkably different from the woman who spent months in a wheelchair earlier this year.
Vonn arrived at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in a fitted, sleeveless olive-green maxi dress and heels. The sleek look featured a thigh-high slit along her left side, leaving the scars from multiple surgeries on her left leg visible, along with a small amount of medical tape around her calf and knee.
It was a striking sight considering just how serious Vonn's injuries were only months ago.
Lindsey Vonn's US Open Look Marks Another Step in Remarkable Recovery
Vonn suffered a complex fracture to her left tibia after crashing during the women's downhill at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Feb. 8.
The accident came just days after she had torn the ACL in her left knee during a World Cup race in Switzerland. Vonn ultimately underwent a series of surgeries after the Olympic crash, with the damage becoming so severe that doctors at one point were fighting to save her leg.
Her road back has been anything but quick.
Vonn spent months progressing from a wheelchair to crutches and eventually to walking independently. In July, she shared a video documenting five months of rehabilitation, from struggling simply to stand to getting back under weights in the gym.
That made Sunday's appearance in Queens particularly meaningful.
There was no attempt to conceal every physical reminder of the crash. Instead, Vonn walked the US Open blue carpet in heels with her surgically repaired leg visible through the slit of her dress.
The official US Open site confirmed Vonn was among the stars who attended the opening day of the tournament, joining a celebrity crowd that also included Vera Wang, Orlando Bloom, Sloane Stephens and others.
Lindsey Vonn Still Has Another Surgery Ahead
As impressive as Vonn's progress looked in New York, her recovery isn't finished.
While attending the US Open, Vonn revealed that she still needs surgery to repair the ACL in her left knee. She hopes that procedure can happen this winter, potentially as soon as November, and said she expects another lengthy rehabilitation afterward.
“I still have another surgery, so I’m trying to get as strong as possible,” Vonn told TNT Sports at the tournament. “And once I get my ACL, then I’ll have another long road ahead of me.”
For now, Vonn isn't looking too far beyond that next stage of recovery.
Her appearance at Flushing Meadows offered a much more immediate measure of just how far she has already come.
Earlier this year, Vonn was sharing photos from a hospital bed and later documenting the slow process of learning to walk independently again. On Sunday, she was back on a major sports stage, dressed up, walking in heels and leaving the evidence of everything it took to get there in plain sight.
The scars were part of the look. And after the year Vonn has endured, there was certainly no reason to hide them.

Maggie MacKenzie is a Boston-based writer and editor who has spent more than a decade covering sports and entertainment, with a deep focus on NASCAR. At NASCAR.com she covered the sport from race-weekends and analysis to larger stories covering the athletes, teams and series. Maggie has also held editorial roles across sports media, including as a copy editor and writer at Sports Business Journal, where she worked on coverage of the business side of professional sports, and at Heavy.com covering sports and entertainment. Maggie has been writing and editing professionally for more than ten years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Fairfield University and an MBA from Babson College.