Lindsey Vonn is "pretty nervous" ahead of her ninth surgery on her left leg

Lindsey Vonn is heading into the operating room again, and she isn't hiding that it weighs on her. In an emotional Instagram video, the US ski star said she is praying that her ninth surgery will be her last.

What did Vonn say?

"This will be my ninth surgery. I'm making this video beforehand because I'm actually pretty nervous," she said in the video, posted on Monday evening German time.

She also explained what is planned. All plates and screws, basically all the implant material in her left leg, will be removed. Only then can surgeons insert a new anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the key stabilising ligament in the knee. Because of all the hardware, she says, she still doesn't have one.

She waited nine months so that the bone could heal, and it has. "Great news," she said. But the holes left by the screws still need to heal, and the ligament issue remains.

How long will she be out?

Vonn expects another six to nine months of downtime. She also warned that things can still change during the operation, so everyone will have to wait and see. She said she would share updates once she is out of surgery and recovering.

She says she has friends and family around her. "Everything is going to go super well," she said. She did not say anything about possible comeback plans.

What happened before?

The injury goes back to the Winter Olympics in northern Italy in February. Vonn started the downhill in Cortina d'Ampezzo with a torn ACL, chasing gold. Just 14 seconds into the run she crashed and suffered a complex fracture of her left lower leg.

Vonn later said that only emergency surgery prevented her leg from having to be amputated. The four-time overall World Cup champion has still said she definitely wants to ski again. Whether that includes World Cup racing is an open question.

What's next?

For now, it is the operation and a long recovery. Vonn has promised to report on her progress as soon as she can.