Last week the new tennis documentary “Federer: Twelve Final Days” was released for streaming on Amazon Prime Video. It is a behind-the-scenes look at the time between when he decided to retire and his final match at the Laver Cup twelve days later. Tennis fans who love Federer and could never get enough of him will love this film. The hour-and-a-half run time may be about an hour too long for everyone else.
The fact that the documentary even exists is a testament to how different Federer’s life is than almost anybody else on the planet. For example, the trailer claims that film crews were granted unprecedented access during that time. However, it also asserts that the footage was home video that was never planned to be released. The only way both of those things can possibly be true means that the Federer family hires film crews to make their home videos. They’re not like the rest of us.
A second case in point is the inside look at the production that went into Federer’s official retirement notification. He is shown pre-recording a voice-over of his retirement announcement using a professional-quality microphone and recording equipment. The result wasn’t scheduled for release until a later time. The film then shows the extended Federer family gathered around, waiting for the social media announcement to drop. His social media isn’t spontaneous but rather produced and curated by unseen staff.
I genuinely enjoyed the behind-the-scenes glimpse at how the Laver Cup operates and what a great experience it is for the players. As an example of the over-attention to detail, the locker rooms were not only decorated with the team colors for the event, but each locker featured a full-length picture of each player. Additionally, the film included a debate between Mateo Berrettini and Rafael Nadal about Lorenzo Sonego’s grunting that was simply hilarious.
What is billed as —and should have been— a celebration of Roger Federer’s iconic career instead felt morose. Rather than the excitement and passion, it felt more like a funeral and was even literally compared to one during the film. While it was packed with tributes and reflections from the tennis stars on both Laver Cup teams, even those felt like eulogies.
Ultimately, “Federer: Twelve Final Days” fell short of my expectations. The plodding pace dragged on, turning what should have been a celebration into a tedious farewell. Nevertheless, Federer fans will still love the movie, perhaps because it helps bring closure to their own grieving process over the end of his career.
