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LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 14: Roger Federer of Switzerland is interviewed after his victory over Novak Djokovic of Serbia during Day Five of the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 Arena on November 14, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by TPN/Getty Images)

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LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 14: Roger Federer of Switzerland is interviewed after his victory over Novak Djokovic of Serbia during Day Five of the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 Arena on November 14, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by TPN/Getty Images)
Over the course of his glorious career, 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has had many coaches. However, there was one coach in particular who had been the most impactful in Federer’s life.
Peter Carter was Roger Federer’s coach from when the Swiss Maestro was merely a 9-year-old. They continued a professional relationship until 2002, when Carter met an unfortunate demise.
Not only did Carter influence Roger’s game style the way we see it today, but he also helped him emotionally and behaviorally.
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Roger Federer always credits Peter Carter for being the most influential
As a matter of fact, Peter Carter was not Federer’s first coach. Chiefly, that was Czech coach Adolf Kacovsky. However, according to Christopher Clarey, who wrote a biography on Federer titled The Master: The Brilliant Career of Roger Federer‘, Roger credits Carter for being having had the most influence on him, not Kacovsky.

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LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 07. Roger Federer of Switzerland attends a press conference in the Main Interview Room court after losing his men’s Singles Quarter Final match against Hubert Hurkacz of Poland on Day Nine of The Championships. Wimbledon 2021 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 07, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by AELTC/Joe Toth – Pool/Getty Images)
“Peter brought me a lot,” Federer said, talking about his late coach. “On the human side, and of course with my tennis”. In fact, he credits Carter for his tennis technique, as well. “People talk a lot about my technique,” Federer said.
Roger Federer's inspirational former coach died in a car crash on his honeymoon in 2002.
Nearly two decades on, Federer still gets emotional when he talks about Peter Carter.
Our exclusive interview: https://t.co/AJM6UXgt6H pic.twitter.com/g9aiylaKy8
— CNN Sports (@cnnsport) January 7, 2019
He then explained how many people have helped his technique, but none more than Carter. “If it’s (his technique) so good, it’s had a lot to do with Peter,” Roger said. Federer has often talked about how much he misses Carter and still remembers his enormous contribution to the person he became. In fact, Roger Federer had not won a single Grand Slam until Peter’s demise, which he considered a wake-up call to not waste his talents away.
Following carter’s tragic death in a car crash, Federer won his first Grand Slam at Wimbledon the next year, and dedicated it to Peter
ALSO READ: The Heart-Wrenching Story of Roger Federer and His Former Coach the Late Peter Carter
Carter came to Basel purely by chance
It is purely by chance that Peter Carter, the man so influential in the life of one of the greatest players in the sport, came to Basel, Switzerland.

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Tennis – ATP 250 – Geneva Open – Tennis Club de Geneve, Geneva, Switzerland – May 18, 2021. Switzerland’s Roger Federer reacts after losing his round of 16 match against Spain’s Pablo Andujar. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
According to Clarey’s book, financial pressures made Carter “complement his meager tournament income” by playing for clubs in Europe. He could have landed in any random club in any European nation. And yet, it just so happened that he came to Basel.
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“If I can say thank you for my technique today, it’s to Peter.”
In a CNN interview, a tearful Roger Federer remembers his late Australian coach, Peter Carter: https://t.co/nTU8RyK8oG pic.twitter.com/G21PCw7i8N
— TENNIS (@Tennis) January 7, 2019
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Soon, Peter Carter realized that coaching tennis in Switzerland paid well. Thus, he decided to pursue a future as a full-time coach in Basel itself. Subsequently, he met a 9-year-old Roger Federer, and then went on to craft and train one of the greatest players in the history of tennis.
WATCH THIS STORY: A Day in The Life of Tennis Legend Roger Federer: Food to Routine, Everything You Need to Know
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