By 
Celebrated documentary filmmaker Asif Kapadia has taken an unconventional approach to sports storytelling in his latest project, co-directing “Federer: Twelve Final Days” with emerging filmmaker Joe Sabia. The documentary, now streaming on Prime Video, offers an intimate look at tennis legend Roger Federer’s final fortnight before retirement.
Unlike traditional sports documentaries that attempt to encapsulate entire careers, Kapadia and Sabia focus their lens on a precise moment in time: the twelve days leading up to Federer’s last professional match at the Laver Cup. The film represents a departure from Kapadia’s previous works about tragic sporting figures, with the director himself noting that while there is still a death of sorts – the end of an athletic career – this time his subject remains very much alive.
The project began unexpectedly when Sabia, who had previously filmed Federer for a viral Vogue series, received an eleventh-hour call about documenting the tennis star’s retirement. The resulting collaboration between Sabia and Kapadia emerged organically, with the two directors not meeting in person until the film’s Tribeca premiere. Notably, it was Federer himself who insisted on Sabia receiving co-director credit, demonstrating the tennis champion’s commitment to supporting emerging talent even in his retirement project.
The documentary reveals previously unseen aspects of Federer’s world, including rare interview footage with his usually media-shy wife Mirka and behind-the-scenes moments that humanize the tennis icon – such as the revelation that his career-ending knee injury occurred while drawing a bath for his children. Asif Kapadia’s trademark observational style captures subtle dynamics, particularly in scenes featuring Federer’s rival Novak Djokovic, where their complex relationship plays out in seemingly mundane moments like a pre-dinner wardrobe change.
Kapadia’s and Sabia’s approach eschews the comprehensive career retrospective that many might have expected. Instead, they craft what Sabia describes as “a collection of moments” that are “subtle and stressful and sad, but also contemplative.” The film’s intimate scope allows for detailed examination of small moments that might have been lost in a broader narrative.
The documentary provides unprecedented access during a pivotal moment in tennis history, capturing what could be the last time the sport’s “big four” – Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray – share a court. Through Kapadia’s observational lens, even these titans of the sport are shown as remarkably human, their competitive spirits manifesting in unexpected ways even as they gather to celebrate one of their own.
“Twelve Days” stands as a testament to both Kapadia’s evolution as a filmmaker and the power of focused storytelling in sports documentaries. Rather than attempting to tell the complete Roger Federer story, the film succeeds by examining how one of sport’s most graceful exits was orchestrated, revealing the vulnerability and humanity behind the carefully managed finale of a remarkable career.
Comments