Roger Federer’s iconic tennis coach Peter Lundgren dead at 59

The tennis world has paid tribute after the man who coached Swiss maestro Roger Federer to his first Wimbledon title died.

Federer and Lundgren with the Wimbledon trophy. Photo by Phil Cole/Getty Images

Roger Federer’s former coach Peter Lundgren has passed away at the age of 59.

The Swede, who reached world No25 as a player before turning to coaching, helped Swiss icon Federer to his first Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 2003.

According to The Express, he had been suffering from diabetes prior to his death.

Lundgren’s son Lukas and daughter Julia confirmed his passing on social media.

Sharing the news on Facebook, they said: “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.”

As a player, Lundgren’s best Grand Slam run was at the 1989 Wimbledon finals when he reached the fourth round before losing to Ivan Lendl.

As well as Federer, Lundgren coached the likes of Grand Slam champions Stan Wawrinka and Marat Safin, along with Grigor Dimitrov, Marcelo Rios and Marcos Baghdatis.

Federer and Lundgren hold the Wimbledon trophy. Photo by Phil Cole/Getty Images

He returned to Sweden in 2020 for the final years of his life.

And 11-time Grand Slam champion Bjorn Borg paid tribute to his fellow countryman following his passing.

He told Sportbladet: “Peter Lundgren was a wonderful person with a big heart and a lot of humour.

“He was a really good friend. He was loved by all. He will be missed in the tennis world.”

In October last year, Lundgren was forced to have his left foot and lower left leg amputated after breaking it.

Speaking on social media at the time, he said: “Unfortunately, I had to amputate my foot and a bit up because of the infection I had.

“My broken ankle did not heal because of my type two diabetes, you get bad circulation. But now I feel well again and soon my rehab will begin.

“I want to thank everyone for the nice words I got from all of you on FB! It really helps now for me to recover and to go through the rehabilitation and more!

“Time to fight.”

Lundgren with Federer’s eventual wife Mirka.

Having taken Federer to his first Wimbledon title, Lundgren told Tenis Brasil just how he got the eventually 20-time grand slam champion to the title.

“It is never easy to work with a tennis player, but at the time Roger was a very talented young man, only lazy,” he said at the time.

When Federer won the title in 2003, Lundgren said: “It was a very special moment for both of us. I’ve always wanted to win Wimbledon since I started playing tennis. I made the round of 16 as a player, which is not bad, and I won as a coach, something that makes me very happy.”

This story first appeared in The Sun and was republished with permission.

Originally published as Roger Federer’s iconic tennis coach Peter Lundgren dead at 59