British filmmaker to explore ‘deeply personal’ final 12 days of Federer’s career

A documentary about the final moments of Roger Federer’s career will be a “deeply personal journey”, the Swiss tennis star has said.

The athlete, 42, who had record-breaking achievements at Wimbledon and won 20 grand slams, announced in 2022 that he would bow out from competitive tennis.

British filmmaker Asif Kapadia, who was behind the Amy Winehouse documentary Amy, which won an Oscar in 2016, will direct the Amazon Prime Video feature looking at the final 12 days of Federer’s professional career.

It “captures Federer at his most vulnerable and candid self, as he says goodbye to a game and the fans that shaped his life for the last two decades”, by using home video that was never intended for public viewing.

Federer said: “Initially the idea was to capture the final moments of my professional tennis career so that I could have it later on to show my family and friends.”

He added: “During my career I tended to shy away from having cameras around me and my family, especially during important moments. But I didn’t see the harm in shooting this as it was never intended for the public.

“However, we captured so many powerful moments, and it transformed into a deeply personal journey.

“I am happy to be partnering with Prime Video because of their vast global reach and significant presence in the film industry. This ensures that the story of my final days in tennis will resonate with both tennis enthusiasts and broader audiences worldwide.”

Kapadia, who will direct with Joe Sabia, has previously explored the lives of footballers Diego Maradona and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The untitled Federer documentary will also have interviews with the “big four” tennis players Spaniard Rafael Nadal, Serb Novak Djokovic and Scot Andy Murray, who have dominated tennis for decades.

Until last year, when Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, 20, won the Wimbledon men’s singles title, the grand slam had not been won by anyone other than those four men since Australian tennis player Lleyton Hewitt in 2002.

Federer won his first major title in 2003 at Wimbledon and went on to win seven more times, currently the record on the grass court.

The film is produced by Asif Kapadia and George Chignell, and is a Lafcadia Productions production.