"he can be a pain but he has a good heart"

Federer had first worked with Carter when he was 12 years old. The Australian subsequently became the Swiss Davis Cup captain. 'He is the one person who truly opened my eyes,' Federer says, 'to what I could achieve, because maybe I was not taking the game seriously enough at times. He was a very good friend and he taught me so much about technique, too. He improved my game so much.'

Until he began to listen to Carter, Federer says he did not really know how to get the most out of his game. One of his difficulties was that he had always had too much choice. 'My range of shots was a problem. You get a slow ball, and you think, "What am I going to do with this?" If your game is limited, it's simple, you have a shot for each situation and you play it. I had too many options and I had to learn to choose the right shot and the right tactics, not just the most spectacular. I have to admit that when I joined the professional tour, I liked to think I was bringing something special and I would show off...'

Carter helped to make him understand that this was not how to win tennis tournaments. Two years ago, on the eve of a Davis Cup match, Carter was killed in a car crash while on safari in South Africa. Federer was inconsolable. He had persuaded his friend to take the holiday that had resulted in his death and he felt lost without him. For a while his game disintegrated, but when he put it back together, he was stronger, more grown up, perhaps.

When he won his first Wimbledon last year, he dedicated the victory to the memory of his coach.

I wonder if he still finds inspiration in that loss? 'Certainly Peter is still very strong in my heart and in my memories,' he says. 'And I still can't get over what happened. It has been very hard for me to go through this. I have not lost anyone else close to me. I had never been to a funeral before, so it was such a big shock. I still think of him every day. And whenever I win, particularly big matches like yesterday, I'm thinking of him for sure.'

Thirteen years ago I was back at the club to catch up with Peter and spotted him on court working out his bright young hope, Roger Federer. We had spoken about the 13-year-old. but not in great depth, so I sat and watched as they went through their training routine. No question, he looked good. The kid had a fast arm with a strong forehand and a good feel for the ball. But he was far from perfect, and to be perfectly honest, I thought there was a kid back in Adelaide who was potentially better.

"Whaddya think of him?" Peter asked, stepping from the court.

"He looks OK," I replied

"That's it, just OK?" he said

"Carts, you could drive a bus through that backhand. Look at that thing. He shanks it half the time, his slice sits up, he takes a huge step when it's outside the slot and he's not stepping to the left on the neutral ball," I said.

"Yeah, but he's gonna be good, isn't he?" Peter said with confidence.

With that, Roger was quickly forgotten.

Two years on in 1995 and it was back to Switzerland to look after Australia's 16-and-under world youth cup team and a first glimpse at the best juniors around the world. There was some kid from Chile beating the life out of forehands that left dents in the back fence (Fernando Gonzalez) and another from Peru who looked 25 and sported chest hair that would have made Austin Powers purr with admiration (Luis Horna).

Australia drew Switzerland in the first round and two 15-year-olds were about to have their first look at each other: Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) v Roger Federer (Switzerland). And parked in the captain's chair for Switzerland was none other than Peter Carter.

I sat confidently as I expected Lleyton to bury this kid's backhand and Peter was going to cop an earful after the match. Problem was, Roger had improved. He had improved a lot. But the match quickly turned from a potential lesson in tennis development to a lesson in kid management. Both guys were setting new records for racquet bouncing, arguing, smashing balls and just straight out whingeing. Roger would even swear in English and I could assume only that he wanted Peter to have no misunderstandings about his frustrations. The end result? Federer defeated Hewitt in three sets.

It turned out to be a rare victory for Roger over Lleyton in the early years as Roger's development into a top player was stuck on the rollercoaster ride of expectation.

Then in 2002, Peter died in a car accident while holidaying in South Africa. Those close to Carts were gutted, and still are by the loss of our friend. Maybe it was Roger's wake-up call, maybe it put some life lessons into perspective or maybe it was just plain coincidence, but Roger started to mature. The regular glimpses of brilliance mixed with occasional signs of negativity and self-doubt were replaced with a guy starting to feel comfortable in his own skin.

Then came the 2003 Masters Championship in Houston. Even though he had broken through at Wimbledon earlier that year, this week would define him. Just before Roger stepped on the court to play his first match against Andre Agassi, he was pulled aside by a gentleman with a vested interest in the tournament and given a verbal dressing-down. It shocked Roger and it was obvious to all that he was clearly shaken. Roger had apparently made some negative remarks about the event in Houston to which the gentleman took personal offence. He was probably within his right, but the timing was extremely questionable.

History would suggest this occasion was going to be too much for Roger. A bad record against many of the top players, lack of success in the US, matched by the recent controversy, were all ingredients for a poor Federer showing. The records will show that Roger saved a match point that day against Andre and found a way to win when all the odds were stacked against him.

What it doesn't show is the respect he earned from a legend that day. Andre believed we had just seen what truly lies deep inside Roger. Minutes after the match, disappointed and soaked in sweat, Andre muttered these words with his head down in the locker-room: "This kid is a genius. He's going to change our game."

Roger went undefeated to win the 2003 Masters Championship, beating Andre again in the final. His record since that event speaks for itself. But more significantly, his domination over players who previously had caused him trouble has been simply staggering.

There are two things I believe.

In more than 30 years of being a fan, spectator, player and coach of this game, Roger is the best tennis player I've seen. He probably needs to complete his career by winning in Paris to be regarded as the best in history, but even that can be debated.

Secondly, Peter would be damn proud. Not just for what Roger has achieved inside the lines, but more importantly, for the man he's matured into outside the lines.

p. 38, The Age. November 30 1984. Article about Mats Wilander.

2. p. 41, The Age. October 19 1985. Report of wildcards for the Australian Open.

3. p. 44, The Sydney Morning Herald. December 28 1985. Results and order of play for the SA Open.

4. p. 23, SMH. December 30 1985. Results of the SA Open, Carter-Cahill's first and only doubles title as a team.

5. p. 42, SMH. October 14 1986. Order of play for the Australian Indoor Championships (Sydney).

6. p. 28, The Age. October 17 1986. Article about the Australian Indoor Championships (Sydney).

7. p. 88, SMH. November 30 1986. Results of the Swan Masters.

8. p. 54, SMH. January 16 1989. Order of play for the Australian Open.

9. p. 45, SMH. January 17 1989. Order of play for the Australian Open.

10. p. 72, SMH. January 18 1989. Results of the Australian Open.

11. p. 64, SMH. August 05 1989. Results of the Malaysia Open Challenger.*

12. p. 58, SMH. October 26 1989. Results of the Collins Classic.

13. p. 53, SMH. November 02 1989. Results of the Wilson's Classic.

14. p. 49, SMH. November 09 1989. Results of the Fortare Tennis Classic.

15. p. 54, SMH. January 06 1990. Results of the SA Open.