Tennis coach Peter Lundgren who was known for his work with a variety of tennis players including Roger Federer has passed away.
The Swede was a former professional player before turning to coaching where he guided Federer to winning his first Wimbledon title in 2003. The two worked together between 2000 and 2003. Lundgren also coached Marat Safin during his run to the 2005 Australian Open title. He worked with Stan Wawrinka, Marcelo Rios and Grigor Dimitrov. More recently he was a consultant for Swiss player Dominic Stricker.
Lundgren’s death has been confirmed by his family with his son Lukas posting a tribute on social media. There has been no mention of the cause of death. He had been battling various health issues in the past and had his left foot amputated from complications related to diabetes.
“Rest in peace Dad One of the best has unfortunately left us far too soon,” Lukas wrote. “A coach, player, friend andfather. An inspiration and helping hand for many, both on and off the court. The impression you made and the memories will always live on.”
As a player, Lundgren reached a ranking high of 25th in the world and won three ATP titles between 1985-1987. He also reached the final of the 1988 Australian Open men’s doubles event with Jeremy Bates. His best Grand Slam result in singles was reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon in 1989.
Simon Graf is the sports editor for the Swiss newspaper Tages Anzeiger and co-author of the book The Roger Federer Effect. He was one of the first people to pay tribute to Lundgren on social media.
“Peter was one of the finest human beings I’ve met in tennis. Always in good humor and approachable. And he was an excellent coach, guiding Roger Federer to his first major title,” Graf wrote in a post published on X.
Lundgren was only 59 at the time of his death.
