The soaring career and tragic end of Ayrton Senna in Senna. The mesmerising and mercurial rise and fall of Amy Winehouse in Amy. The life and times of the legendary Diego Maradona in Diego Maradona. If there is one man who knows how to fashion a compelling and authentic documentary built around the eclectic lives of famous faces, then Asif Kapadia is the one. Tennis legend Roger Federer, unarguably one of the greatest ever (if not the greatest) to play the game, is Academy Award winner Kapadia’s latest subject in Federer: Twelve Final Days, which — don’t go by its morbid-sounding title — traces the dozen days in 2022 between Federer’s announcement of his retirement and his last match at the Laver Cup, his final tournament which the champion athlete himself had put his weight behind as a tribute to the legendary Rod Laver, after a remarkable career spanning 24 years.
But there is very little that is revelatory in the 87 minutes of Twelve Final Days, now streaming on Prime Video. Bits and pieces of how Federer navigated the last few days before his retirement — culminating in that iconic and heartbreaking video of him and close friend and rival Rafael Nadal crying uncontrollably as the final match of Federer’s career drew to a close — are now a part of Internet archives and collective consciousness.
Kapadia, along with fellow filmmaker Joe Sabia, is content with giving the viewer a ringside view of the last days of Federer’s career, with the camera maintaining a respectful distance. The New York Times review of Twelve Final Days has referred to Federer as Kapadia’s “most polite subject”. There is no arguing with that one.
Roger’s earliest tennis days, notable matches and his last one are woven through this tribute. Excerpts from interviews and candid family footage add depth and breadth to show what made the man poetry in motion, both on court and off it. The documentary depicts Federer as positive, honest, engaging, and unsurpassed. But this is a controlled portrait with nothing remotely visceral enough to make you sit up in your seat with genuine surprise.
But then, there are very few like Federer. Just watching the Swiss legend on screen — whether you are a fan or not — fills one with a deep sense of admiration. That is illustrated by the various talking heads whose emotions for Federer are both genuine and gushing.
In the documentary, former legend of the game, John McEnroe says: “On the tennis court, he’s a Baryshnikov,” describing Roger’s balletic grace amidst supreme physical agility, making it look all effortless. Rod Laver adds: “He’s an artist on the court”, with Rafa asserting: “We’ll never see another player with that flow, that perfection, that elegance.”
It is these moments that bring on a wave of genuine #feels for the man who meant the world to tennis fans of more than one generation. I had a lump in my throat when Federer signs off his retirement announcement with “And to the game of tennis, I love you, I will never leave you”. Tennis is poorer without you.
