Roger Federer's ex-coach Peter Lundgren, who helped Swiss win first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, dies at the age of 59
Roger Federer's ex-coach Peter Lundgren died at the age of 59, according to a statement released by his children. The Swede coached Federer to his first Grand Slam title - the 2003 Wimbledon Championships.
Lundgren was battling diabetes and last year he had his left foot and lower leg amputated after breaking it. On August 23, his son Lukas and daughter Julian released a statement about their father's death on Facebook. In a heartfelt tribute, they wrote:
"Rest in peace Dad. One of the best has unfortunately left us far too soon. A coach, player, friend and father. An inspiration and helping hand for many, both on and off the court. The imprint you made and the memories will always live on."
Lundgren was an accomplished player in the 1980s and 90s. He reached a career-high ranking of World No. 25 in 1987. He was from the crop of Swedish players who rose to prominence after the success of Swedish tennis legend Bjorn Borg. Along with Lundgren, top-ranked players such as Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg represented Sweden at the time.
After winning three ATP titles in his career, Lundgren retired and began coaching. He coached Marcelo Ríos into the top 10 before parting ways. Then, he started working with the Swiss Tennis Federation where he met Federer and coached him from 2000.
The Swede helped Roger Federer win his first ATP singles title in 2001 and also coached him to his first Wimbledon title in 2003.
"Roger Federer learned extremely quickly... I enjoyed the time with him" - Peter Lundgren
During an interview with Blick in May 2023, Lundgren admitted that it was not easy to coach Roger Federer at first, as he had a temper.
"It wasn't easy with him at first. He had a lot of temper and showed it too often in matches. But he quickly realized that he had to change."
However, the Swede believed Federer was a quick learner and he enjoyed his time training the Swiss superstar.
"He learned extremely quickly and always found a way to solve problems. When he won Wimbledon for the first time in 2003, I was incredibly happy for him. It was nice to see him take that step. I enjoyed the time with him," he added.
Federer and Lundgren split in 2003 before the Swedish coach guided Marat Safin to the 2005 Australian Open title.
In the years to come, Lundgren coached the British Davis Cup team, and the likes of Marcos Baghdatis, Grigor Dimitrov and Stanislas Wawrinka before returning to Sweden in 2020.