I saw how much Roger Federer suffered at Peter Carter's funeral, he was destroyed: Marc Rosset

Retired tennis star Marc Rosset, who turned 50 on Saturday, recently recalled how badly fellow Swiss Roger Federer was affected by the death of his former coach Peter Carter in 2002.

Peter Carter, a former Australian tennis player and coach, is better known as the first and most influential coach of 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer. Carter died in a car accident in August 2002, while on his honeymoon in South Africa.

In an interview with Blick, Rosset, who retired from the professional game in 2005, talked Roger Federer's state in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy.

"I was at the funeral of Federer 's coach Peter Carter and saw how much Roger suffered - he was destroyed," Rosset 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 Sport (@cnnsport) January 7, 2019

Marc Rosset recalls how he provided Roger Federer emotional support

Marc Rosset also revealed that he accompanied Federer when the latter paid a visit to Carter's parents. The meeting took place during the Davis Cup tie between Switzerland and Australia in Melbourne.

"When Roger Federer was in Melbourne for the Davis Cup, he wanted to visit Carter's parents. I went with him to be there for him - that's normal among friends. And I hope that a few people will do this for me too, if I need it," Rosset said.

Roger Federer and Marc Rosset at the 2003 Davis Cup semifinal match between Australia and Switzerland

Rosset, who won the 1992 Olympic singles gold medal in Barcelona, believes that going through such difficult moments helps shape a person much more than winning a Major title.

"You have to go through such moments, they are more formative than an Olympic victory. If you win a medal, you are happy and everyone congratulates you, okay. But grief triggers more intense emotions," Rosset added.

Peter Carter’s dad is sitting in the Federer player box today. The Federers really do reserve seats for his parents every year 🥺 pic.twitter.com/Q03qkp2xYg

— Fi (@federering) January 26, 2020

Many noticed how Roger Federer brought about a great improvement in his temperament after the tragedy. Federer was known as a hothead in his early years on the tour, but from 2003 he became a picture of calm and composure on the court. That was reflected in his results too - the Swiss won his first Slam at Wimbledon 2003, and never looked back.

Roger Federer is currently recovering from a knee injury, and has not competed on the professional circuit since the Australian Open in January. He has in fact undergone two separate surgeries on his right knee this year, and intends to return to the circuit in January 2021.

On Friday, the 20-time Grand Slam champion sent his fans into a tizzy by posting a picture from his training session. This was the first time Federer had been seen on a court since the knee surgeries.