Swiss Davis Cup coach dies in road accident

Peter Carter had been national coach since last Autumn Keystone Archive

The head of Switzerland's national tennis squad, Peter Carter, has died after being involved in a road accident in South Africa.

The 37-year-old Australian, who only took up his post towards the end of last year, was on holiday with his Swiss-born wife at the time.

“This is a very big loss for Swiss tennis, because Peter was a person who was very important for the team and for team spirit as well,” Thomas Burkhardt, marketing director for the Swiss Tennis Federation, told swissinfo.

“Peter got on with everyone very well. For all the staff and for all his colleagues here this is terribly sad news.”

Based in Switzerland for the past nine years, Carter took over as captain of the Swiss Davis Cup team after a players’ revolt saw the previous incumbent, Jakob Hlasek, ousted from the job.

In his first match in charge in February, Carter saw his charges narrowly lose 2-3 away to Russia in Moscow.

Carter, who was not due to receive his Swiss residency papers until September 2003, was forced to watch the match from the stands.

International Tennis Federation rules stipulated that he could not sit on the players’ bench because only a Swiss national can captain the Swiss team.

Carter was also the former trainer of Swiss men’s number one, Roger Federer.

swissinfo with agencies