Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka's coach dies aged 59

Roger Federer worked under the tutelage of Peter Lundgren between 2000 and 2003

Former tennis player and coach Peter Lundgren has passed away aged 59. The Swede reached a career-high of world No. 25 in his playing career before hanging up his own racket. He enjoyed more success as a mentor to the next generation - including one Roger Federer, who he coached to his first Grand Slam triumph at Wimbledon in 2003. Just last year in October, Lundgren was forced to have his left foot and lower leg amputated after breaking it. Having suffered from diabetes, his son Lukas and daughter Julia confirmed his death earlier today (August 23). Posting on Facebook, they wrote: "Rest in peace Dad. One of the best has unfortunately left us far too soon.

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“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 part of his country’s golden generation of tennis talent. When he reached his peak ranking, he was only the seventh-best Swede behind Mats Wilander, Stefan Edberg, Anders Järryd, Joakim Nyström, Henrik Sundström and Jan Gunnarsson. He first made an impression as a coach by making the eccentric Marcelo Rios a top-10 player. After parting ways with him, Lundgren began working for the Swiss Tennis Federation, where he first met a young Federer.

Tennis consumed Lundgren's life

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"It wasn't easy with him at first," he admitted to Blick in May 2023. "He had a lot of temper and showed it too often in matches. But he quickly realised that he had to change. "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." The first of Federer’s 20 majors wasn’t Lundgren’s only Grand Slam triumph as a coach, as he also guided Marat Safin to the 2005 Australian Open. Among the other players he coached were Stan Wawrinka and Grigor Dimitrov.

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As a player, the Swede reached world No. 25

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