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By Jon Paul Hoornstra
Contributing Sports Writer
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Roger Federer's retirement from professional tennis in 2022 sent shockwaves around the sport. Though it was hardly a surprise — Federer was 41, unranked, and four years removed from his last major victory — it marked the end of an era.
From the time he turned professional in 1998, Federer appeared in 157 tournament finals and won 103 — both second all-time. His 13 Olympic match wins are also tied for the all-time record, and his inimitable style on the court inspired a generation of would-be rivals.
Now, Federer has inspired a documentary film.
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"Federer: 12 Final Days" takes an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the end of Federer's career, from the moment he announced his retirement until the time of his final match.
In an interview on the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch, documentarian Joe Sabia explained the film's remarkable genesis:
"I knew that he's very private. I knew that he wouldn't want to do anything flashy," Sabia said. "I pitched it as an 8- to 12-minute short film that if he didn't want it to see the light of day, that's his prerogative. It can just be for his family and friends. I was happy to serve that end. Just to capture it with two cameras, one sound guy, and do it like that."
"Halfway through the 12 days (I realized) this was so much more than an 8- to 12-minute edit. ... It ended up being a 63-minute edit. Basically, a rough cut of a film. So when I showed it to him he gave the best compliment I could ever ask for: he said, 'Joe if this leaked tomorrow I wouldn't mind.'"
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Now, the public will get a rare glimpse at the end of the career of arguably the greatest tennis player ever. Along the way, viewers are treated to rare interviews with Federer's wife, Mirka, and opponents who speak of him with awed reverence.
Sabia said Amazon picked Asif Kapadia to co-direct the project.
"At first I'm like, I'm not sure this is for me," Kapadia told Deitsch. "I was not expecting it to affect me because I didn't know anything about it. I just watched it cold and I thought, this is really moving. That was the point I thought, I think there's a film there. ... A lot of the work's been done and I can see this has amazing potential."
Sabia said he had met Federer at Wimbledon in 2019. He met Federer's agent, Tony Godsick of IMG around the same time, which was his entry into the initial project. Sabia and Kapadia wanted to lend the project a vibe of authenticity and minimal production to add to the behind-the-scenes feel.
"Federer: 12 Final Days" debuts June 20 on Amazon Prime Video.
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