Summary
Adding to his grief over his previous losses was the death of his long time coach, Peter Carter. During his stay in South Africa where it was normally a vacation spot for him to relax, there was news across South Africa of his death on August 2, 2002. He died in a car crash. Federer got the news while playing in the Tennis Masters Series event in Toronto, and was absolutely devastated when he heard this. Although Federer had already lost, he was still playing doubles and wore a black armband in honor for his late coach.
After his death, Federer lost all his focus and could not find enjoyment in the game anymore. He withdrew from several events to try and regroup himself. He attended Carter's funeral which was his first funeral ever. However, he did not just sulk but saw this as a opportunity to rest and since he did not play all that much lately, he was fresh for the rest of the season. The Davis Cup was coming up and dedicated to the team's former coach, Peter Carter. They won and soon Federer's confidence came back to him. His goal by the end of the year was the Master's Cup in Shanghai which only allowed the top eight players in the world. He was ranked No.10 at the time and with his victory Vienna he secured his place in the Master's Cup.
The Masters Cup was round robin with the eight qualifying players paired in two round-robin groups of four. Federer considered Agassi as a favorite and Juan Carlos Fererro as the runner up but proved to be wrong when Agassi was defeated. Federer got to the semifinals where he faced Leyton Hewitt who was No.1 at the time. His record against Hewitt was not the best and even though Federer put up a good effort, he could not beat him and lost 5-7, 7-5, 5-7.
When 2003 started, Federer made it a goal to win a Grand Slam tournament. At the Australian Open, which is the first Grand Slam of the year, he got past the first three matches without losing a set but met David Nalbandian who Federer had a losing record against. He lost in five sets, but later went on to win the next 16 out of the 17 matches he played. The next two Slams met with similar results except he seemed to have gotten worst, losing in the first round of both the French Open and Wimbledon, both where he was the favorite to win. He was 22 at the time and 5 years into his professional career.
Quote
"He showed that he was a player who could not pull out a match even though he was not playing his best tennis." (Stauffer 102).
Reaction
What I found interesting about this trait Federer had was that it also showed in other players who later became the best players in the world. Lleyton Hewitt is an example since he was never as talented as Federer but worked really hard and could pretty much win on determination alone. Federer knew he was not playing his best but persisted and it's showing the stages that all champions go through which is making his place in the world after beating Sampras, going through the emotions and maturing after being on tour, winning consecutive small tournaments, and eventually win a Grand Slam after a slump.
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