Twenty-one months into retirement, Roger Federer is giving good copy away from the tennis court. It’s a little bit easier to be frank when not a contender, especially when the subject of the conversation is Novak Djokovic, someone who took his last proper crack at a major title away in the most dramatic of circumstances at Wimbledon. That was five years ago. It’s easier to talk now.
In September 2022, Federer bade farewell to tennis at the Laver Cup in London at the age of 41. Having just completed his only match of the year at the O2 with great rival Rafael Nadal as his doubles partner, there was hardly a dry eye in the house. Nadal and Federer were photographed in tears together as the end of one third of the Big Three Empire got a post-midnight feast of fandom. Djokovic was also a member of Team Europe that famous night and the respect Federer has for the has touched new heights since the Swiss left the scene.
The major champion has released his updated thoughts on the rivalries with the Serb and Spaniard in a new Amazon Prime documentary entitled Federer: Twelve Final Days which is released on June 20. Federer’s journey with Djokovic has not been straightforward. It’s lurched from almost dismissive contempt of the Serb’s early reputation for quitting matches to barking at the rowdy nature of his opponent’s family support before morphing into an existential crisis of how to beat him.
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