Roger Federer with his first coach Peter Carter during his early days as a professional tennis player.
Former South African tennis player Wayne Ferreira feels that Swiss maestro Roger Federer never got over the tragic death of his first coach Peter Carter.
Carter, who was Federer’s first and most influential coach, had met the Swiss international when he was just nine years old and was the one to recognise the immense potential in him.
However, he was unlucky to witness any of Federer’s biggest achievements in the game as he succumbed to a tragic car accident on August 1, 2002.
The following day, Ferreira and Federer, who played as a doubles pair, suffered a tight three-set loss at the hands of Joshua Eagle and Sandon Stolle at the Toronto Masters.
The once top-ranked South African was in conversation with the Swiss-German daily newspaper Blick, where he revealed that he had tried to help Federer by staying with him and supporting him during the tough times.
He also added that despite the efforts, he always felt that the 38-year-old never got over the incident as Swiss star had never dealt with the death of someone close to him.
“He probably never really got over it,” Ferreira said. “When we see each other, stories from back then keep coming. Somehow, he deals with it, but it’s very hard for him,” the South African added.
Federer to double up with Bill Gates
Meanwhile, Roger Federer will team up with billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates for the upcoming “Match in Africa” – an exhibition match to be held in Cape Town, South Africa.
Gates and Federer will face 19-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal and ‘The Daily Show’ host Trevor Noah in a doubles match which will be followed by a much-anticipated singles match between Federer and Nadal.
The proceeding from the matches will go to the Roger Federer Foundation – Federer’s charitable institution which supports early childhood education in six African countries and Switzerland.
