Documentary visionary Asif Kapadia has redefined sports filmmaking with his latest work, partnering with emerging director Joe Sabia to capture Roger Federer’s retirement in “Federer: Twelve Final Days.” Unlike the tragically-tinged narratives of Kapadia’s previous works, this Prime Video documentary explores what the filmmaker calls “the first death” – an athlete’s departure from professional competition.
The project’s genesis came through Sabia’s earlier connection with Federer during a Vogue video shoot, leading to an impromptu invitation to document the tennis icon’s retirement announcement. What emerged was a distinctive collaboration between Sabia and Kapadia, who remarkably never met until the film’s Tribeca premiere. Federer himself championed this unconventional partnership, insisting on Sabia’s co-director credit alongside the accomplished Kapadia.
Moving away from comprehensive career retrospectives, the documentary zeroes in on seemingly mundane moments that reveal deeper truths. We witness Federer’s career-ending knee injury occurring during a simple parental task – drawing his children’s bath. His wife Mirka, typically media-averse, offers candid reflections on touring with four children. Even the complex dynamics between Federer and his rivals surface in unexpected ways, like an impromptu wardrobe adjustment before a Laver Cup dinner that subtly illuminates the ongoing competition between these sporting giants.
What sets this film apart in Kapadia’s repertoire is its deliberate focus on the present rather than historical sweep. The documentary finds profound meaning in small gestures and quiet moments, creating what Sabia describes as an intimate “oasis” amid the typically overproduced world of sports documentaries. The filmmakers’ restrained approach allows the raw emotion of Federer’s farewell to resonate without melodrama.
The unprecedented access granted to the filmmaking team reveals not just the public face of retirement but its careful orchestration, including strategy sessions with ESPN’s Mary Jo Fernandez and agent Tony Godsick. Rather than censoring these behind-the-scenes moments, the documentary embraces transparency, adding layers to our understanding of how sporting legends craft their exits.
Through Kapadia’s observational lens, the film captures what might be the final competitive gathering of tennis’s “big four” – Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray. This historical convergence provides backdrop to the more intimate story of one athlete’s carefully choreographed goodbye to professional sport.
The result is a documentary that mirrors its subject’s elegance, finding grace in limitation and power in restraint. By focusing intensely on these twelve days rather than attempting to encompass Federer’s entire career, Kapadia and Sabia have created something more revealing than a traditional sports biography – a meditation on endings that resonates beyond the boundaries of tennis.