The tragedy that shaped Federer

Fourteen years after winning his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, Federer made history with an eighth All England Club triumph and 19th major. Victory over Marin Cilic in the Wimbledon final made the 35-year-old the oldest man to triumph on the famed grass courts tucked away in the suburbs of London.

And many other things have changed for Federer since that Centre Court triumph over Mark Philippoussis in 2003. On court, his successes have brought him more than $100 million in prize money and 92 career titles. Off it, he is the father of two sets of twins, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva and Leo and Lenny with wife Mirka.

But his career and life wasn't always so settled. As a talented young player, Federer's on-court tantrums and hair-trigger temper once threatened to stunt his progress.

It took a personal tragedy for Federer to press the reset button. Just when he turned 21, his Australian coach and close friend from his formative years Peter Carter was killed in a car crash in South Africa. From that point on, Federer committed himself to winning in style, with grace and not dictated to by his inner demons.

David Law, a former ATP communications manager, revealed on his The Tennis Podcast that Federer wasn't exactly the humble person he is today when he was growing up. Law would know, after he helped groom Federer for media appearances, co-ordinated press guides and watched soccer matches with him.

"The number of times we would go to tournaments and he would throw in a substandard performance where he'd mentally break down or he'd get emotional and throw his rackets -- he was a baby," Law said on the Tennis Podcast. "Honestly, he was a crybaby on the court. He was just immature and it took him a while [to grow up]."

Federer, who rarely breaks from his mild-mannered attitude today, was just like any other teenager. He was silly, he liked obnoxious music and was big into video games, according to Law. But Federer's childish antics didn't last. He got a heartbreaking wakeup call when former Carter -- who coached him from age 9 to 18 -- died while on a trip in the safari in 2002, just a week before Federer turned 21.

Law said that moment straightened Federer out.

"Federer was devastated," Law said about Carter's death. "That made Federer grow up quickly because I don't think he'd ever had to think about mortality before. It stopped him in his tracks and it caused him problems for a long time in terms of dealing with the grief. This is someone he knew well, who he travelled everywhere with.

"It hit Federer incredibly hard and I think that -- and this is a feature of Federer as a boy becoming a man -- is that at every stage of his life, whatever has happened, he's digested and learnt from it."

Federer went on to win at Wimbeldon in 2003 before capturing three Grand Slams the following year. The rest, well, is history.

But Federer has not forgotten all that Carter did for him. The superstar paid tribute to Carter after winning the Australian Open in January, saying no one has had a bigger impact on his career. He also annually hosts Carter's parents Bob and Diana at the Australian Open.

“For me Peter Carter was a very important man just overall for my character," Federer said. "He taught me respect for each person. It doesn't matter if that person is famous or not famous. He just taught me the right values."