"I watched a screening, I cried 6 times" - Roger Federer on how he came around to the idea of making a documentary about his final playing days

 

Roger Federer's collaboration with director Asif Kapadia and producer Joe Sabia on a documentary capturing the days preceding his retirement at the 2022 Laver Cup provides a unique insight into the final chapter of his illustrious career. With his remarkable achievements and enduring impact on the tennis world, Federer's retirement marked the end of an era in the sport.

Roger Federer's lone competitive match at the exhibition event saw him team up with Rafael Nadal against Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock. Although the 'Fedal' duo suffered a defeat in three sets, the crowd at the O2 Arena showed their appreciation for Federer with enthusiastic cheers as they bid him farewell.

Joe Sabia, a video content producer, captured extensive footage during the fortnight in London, leading to the proposal of a documentary to Roger Federer. Asif Kapadia, renowned for his documentaries on Diego Maradona, Ayrton Senna, and Amy Winehouse, is spearheading the project.

In an interview with GS Sports, the 42-year-old initially expressed reluctance towards the idea of a full-blown documentary. However, after viewing the final product, which spans one and a half hours, and learning that it will be released on Amazon Prime, he quickly changed his mind.

"So then they came and I said, 'Well, you probably want to see before, and then during, and after [the match].' And then Joe told me, 'Hey, I have so much footage and it’s so incredible and it would be such a waste not to share this." Roger Federer said to GS Sports. "Can I just pitch to you a one-hour doc?' And I’m like, 'Okay, well sure, but that’s not the point here. But yeah sure, 

          show me.'"

 

"And it’s super emotional, hard-core to watch. So I watch it with Mirka and Tony [Godsick, Federer’s agent] and we’re like, Oh, my God, wow. So next thing you know, it’s like we’re doing one and a half hours, last-12-days-of-my-life type thing. I watched a screening the other day, it was hard-core.

           I cried like six times."

 "This was something I didn’t want to do" - Roger Federer to initial resistance on documentary

Federer and Nadal at Laver Cup 2022

Roger Federer further elaborated on his initial reluctance to make a documentary about the final days of his career, explaining that he wasn't "ready to write his story" at that time.