By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Monday, June 3, 2024
Parting is poignant—and personal—for Roger Federer in Federer: Twelve Final Days.
Today, Prime Video debuted the official trailer for Federer: Twelve Final Days and it’s revealing.
The feature-length documentary will premiere in select theaters on June 13th and launch June 20th exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
Using home video, behind-the-scenes footage shot as Federer prepared for his final farewell at Laver Cup at the O2 Arena in London and extensive interviews from those closest to the Swiss Maestro, the film chronicles Federer’s highly moving farewell to tennis.
We see the emotion as Federer records his retirement announcement, we see a visual burst of the Swiss Maestro’s evolution through home video, we hear wife Mirka’s voice for the first time in a long time and we see Federer’s Big 4 rivals convene for his emotional exit at Laver Cup in London’s iconic O2 Arena.
“Hopefully, I will not be using those tissues, but I’m an emotional guy so we’ll never know,” Federer concedes in a home video right before recording his official retirement announcement.
Here’s a look at the trailer for Federer: Twelve Final Days:
British filmmaker Asif Kapadia, whose highly-regarded 2015 documentary on singer Amy Winehouse, Amy, won the Academy Award for best documentary, heads this project. Kapadia, who has also directed award-winning documentaries on Diego Maradona and race-car driver Ayrton Senna, worked with co-director Joe Sabia on the Federer documentary.
Big 4 rivals—Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray—as well as other star players—are featured as interview subjects in this documentary.
Back in September of 2022, Federer made an emotional exit partnering rival Rafa Nadal in his final doubles match at Laver Cup in London.
ormer world No. 1 Federer, who ruled the world for 310 weeks, still rules the hearts of fans all over the world. In his farewell match, Federer partnered rival and friend Rafael Nadal in a fitting Fedal farewell at Laver Cup in London. The iconic champions held a match point, but could not close as Americans Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe edged Federer and Nadal in a thriller. After bowing in his final match, Federer received a bear-hug from Novak Djokovic and Matteo Berrettini. Then Federer and Nadal sat side-by-side on the Team Europe bench, clasped hands and shared sobs.
The night was much more a celebration of Federer’s career than merely competition and proved to be a profound curtain closer.
“It does feel like a celebration to me,” Federer told Jim Courier and the crowd in his on-court interview. “I wanted it to feel like this a the end and it’s exactly what I hoped for. So thank you. It’s been a perfect journey. I’d do it all over again.”
The film will also host its World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on Monday, June 10 in New York City.
Photo credits: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Prime Video
