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‘Federer: Twelve Final Days’ Review: A Partial Backstage Pass to the Tennis Great’s Retirement Party
Asif Kapadia and Joe Sabia’s sports documentary captures plenty of tears and even a little tennis, but Roger Federer deserves a more probing portrait.
Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and the tournament’s namesake Rod Laver are all present to represent the old guard, but the real focus is on Federer’s trio of longtime rivals: low-key Brit Andy Murray, mischievous Serbian Novak Djokovic and Spanish great Rafael Nadal. Highlights from the climactic match — in which Federer is paired with Nadal, naturally, for a doubles contest against younger pros Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock — are well staged, with the directors avoiding traditional broadcast angles and instead giving us an up-close, court-level view of the two aging greats in action. More novel are the film’s glimpses at the mundane small moments that make up a tennis superstar’s day-to-day: the shop-talk in locker rooms, the endless shuttling between luxury hotel banquet halls and one hilarious debate between Federer and Djokovic over which dress shirts they’re supposed to be wearing for a photo shoot.
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