- Date of Release: 21 June 2024
- Genre: Documentary, Sports
- Language: English
- Watch On: Amazon Prime Video
Federer: Twelve Final Days
Introduction
Picture this! It is the Laver Cup match in 2022 featuring Team World taking on Team Europe. For Team Europe, it features the dream team of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer taking centerstage probably for the only time together in their respective illustrious careers. But more importantly, it marks the final match of the King of the Court – Roger Federer. As luck would have it, the he loses his final match this bidding farewell to a career that he could be proud of. The ending though wasn’t a fairy tale one, and as they say – Legends do not go out with a bang, but a mere whimper. Such was the credibility of Roger Federer the athlete that transcended beyond the realms of nationality, accounting for fans all over the world irrespective of the nations that they belonged to. And so, a documentary on the arguably finest athlete of my generation was always going to be an interesting one. Hence, I was looking forward to Federer – Twelve Final Days, a documentary which was originally meant for home viewing and never intended to make it public. So then does this documentary manage to impress, let’s find out.
The Good
Picture this! It is the Laver Cup match in 2022 featuring Team World taking on Team Europe. For Team Europe, it features the dream team of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer taking centerstage probably for the only time together in their respective illustrious careers. But more importantly, it marks the final match of the King of the Court – Roger Federer. As luck would have it, the he loses his final match this bidding farewell to a career that he could be proud of. The ending though wasn’t a fairy tale one, and as they say – Legends do not go out with a bang, but a mere whimper. Such was the credibility of Roger Federer the athlete that transcended beyond the realms of nationality, accounting for fans all over the world irrespective of the nations that they belonged to. And so, a documentary on the arguably finest athlete of my generation was always going to be an interesting one. Hence, I was looking forward to Federer – Twelve Final Days, a documentary which was originally meant for home viewing and never intended to make it public. So then does this documentary manage to impress, let’s find out.
The documentary also does immensely well in acknowledging the wizards of the sport of Tennis, some of whom played alongside and against Federer, while the others being the greats of the game in their own respective eras. I liked how it was a collective celebration of the greats of the game, each of whom were shown in such great light. And where else would you spot the legends like Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Novak Djokovic and the crowd favourite Rafael Nadal, the latter that divided the world setting forth a rivalry for the ages while the latter but one intruded that party and began his journey as the legend of the game himself. The Rafa-Federer bond was so wonderfully showcased that accounted for a sequence of nostalgia. And you could sense their camaraderie on and off the court, which was immensely visible in this documentary that did provide some rather interesting behind the scenes moments. And the finale match was rather emotional with the legends turning back the clock one last time together, although falling a little short amidst a grand fightback thereby summing up the documentary that was bittersweet.
The Not So Good
One of the biggest complaints that I had with this documentary was its structure. Because this wasn’t intended to be a documentary in the public eye in the first place, the editing of this documentary was all over the place. This is something that didn’t quite allow a chain of emotions to tie the documentary together which was reduced to an episodic structure. Another drawback was that this documentary featured a lot of behind the scenes footage instead of having more guests to talk the viewers through the footage(yes, there still were a few but needed a little more of it). I ideally would have loved each guest to share their favourite Federer moment on court which would have accounted for a sense of nostalgia too. But because releasing this documentary was more of an after thought, these shortcomings may not have been rectified.
My Take
I must admit that I am not quite a tennis fan but I do follow the sport occasionally. Yet, there are a few athletes that have forced me to sit up and take notice, and one of them is Roger Federer. What makes Federer an all time great isn’t his booming forehand or his powerful backhand shots. It isn’t also only restricted to the amount of hardwork that he has put in, to achieve his success(he had lost 6-0 6-0 in his first match at the Junior level). It is more to do with his humility off the court, of not getting carried away with his success, and keeping a calm and still head on his shoulders with his eyes only on the goal that has accounted for such an illustrious career that most can only dream about. It is how you treat his opponents, commanding respect with his game but also treating them as his equal at the end of the day that has allowed Federer to leave behind a legacy that will remained virtually unmatched. I feel young boys and girls can take a note about his personality which is alluring that has turned even his most staunch rival into friends for life. And you could see tears in everyone’s eyes after Federer had played his final shot. I guess that is what he had earned at the end of the day.
Conclusion
Federer – Twelve Final Days is an endearing last dance of the King of the Court packaged in a rather rudimentary documentary that accounts for an emotional but a decent watch overall. Available on Amazon Prime.
