Get Ready for More Tears: Nadal and Federer in ’12 Final Days’ Documentary

The upcoming Federer: Twelve Final Days documentary offers a rare glimpse into the last 12 days of Roger Federer’s career, revealing his heartfelt reflections on retirement and its impact on his family. The trailer is already out, and Vogue magazine has just teased some emotional moments. Get ready for tears, Fedal fans!

LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 23: Roger Federer of Team Europe (L) shows emotion alongside their team mates following their final match during Day One of the Laver Cup at The O2 Arena on September 23, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images for Laver Cup)

The arrival of Rafael Nadal 46 minutes into the film marks its movement into the final aria of Federer’s career. No other player challenged him as consistently, or for as long, as Nadal, and no other player became so close to him personally. The affection between the two is tangible throughout. (It was Nadal, alone among players, whom Federer told about his retirement 10 days before anybody else outside his family and management.) Federer calls Nadal’s ascendance in the game “a bit of a mind bender” that, at first, wasn’t entirely welcome: “I liked being at the top alone,” he adds. Nadal, in turn, simply says that “the most important player in my career…is leaving,” and it’s clear on his face and in his eyes that the notion of Federer’s absence has forced a kind of reckoning of his own.

Again, the tennis obsessives among us will never forget the images we saw from the Laver Cup at the O2—of Federer and Nadal struggling to contain their emotions, sitting next to one another on a bench at the side of the court, holding hands, lips quivering, tears streaming down their faces—and their emotional on-court farewell is the beating heart at the center of this film. But we also see what nobody outside of their circle has ever seen before: Federer walking back into the locker room after their final doubles match to find Nadal still sobbing, a towel hiding his face. The two share another embrace before Nadal wills himself into an emotional gearchange, shouting, “Okay, done!”

8 comments

  1. Mimi- you should write a book about your travels to watch tennis. Or at least a very long post on this site! How many times have you watched Rafa play in person? Too many to count?

  2. Simply the Best-how lucky are we to have witnessed this era. Fate intertwined these two lives in a magical dance. How they must have amazed, inspired, and ignited each other.
    Twelve Final Days will likely revisit this; just as Roland Garros pales without Rafa, tennis
    awaits someone with the genius, charisma, and class of Roger and Rafa🙏🏆❤️

  3. I have tears in my eyes reading this…glad I took a chance to O2 for the emotional farewell.🥹

    • Going to miss you Mimi. It’s been wonderful sharing our fandom for Rafa. Maybe I’m being selfish but I wish we had Rafa for more years.

      • Ditto!❤️ I actually met another Rafa fan who told me she enjoys reading your posts.👍

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