By Hanna Rantala
LONDON (Reuters) – Tennis great Roger Federer says he is enjoying dedicating his time to his family and not rushing into any big projects following his retirement nearly two years ago.
Premiering a new documentary film in London on Thursday that tracks the final days of his sporting career, the 20-times Grand Slam champion said he was very happy with his life.
“I’m definitely not bored at home. Life’s great. I’m trying to be the best dad I can,” the 42-year-old Federer, who has two sets of twins with his wife Mirka, said.
“What’s next? I want to actually wait and see a little bit. I don’t want to have a million things to do right now. I want to be a good dad, a good husband, and be settled a little bit more and then decide, sort of the next mega project, if you like.”
“Federer: Twelve Final Days” captures the emotional roller-coaster of the tail end of the tennis star’s career.
Initially intended as a series of home videos for his personal use, it sees Federer preparing his retirement announcement and takes audiences behind the scenes of his tearful farewell in front of his fans and former rivals at the 2022 Laver Cup in London.
Co-directed by Joe Sabia, known for his “73 Questions” celebrity interviews and Oscar-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia, the documentary mixes candid moments, archive material and interviews with fellow tennis greats Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
The emotion of the two weeks took Sabia, who was given unprecedented access to the Swiss tennis star at his home and in the locker-room, by surprise.
“I wasn’t expecting him to be so nervous. It was really nerve-wracking watching him be so nerve-wracked because I’m just kind of there observing, not saying a thing, watching as a fly on the wall,” he said.
Federer, who turns 43 in August, said he was happy to let his feelings show on screen.
“It’s not like I’m crying through 1.5 hours of the film, you know? It’s a tough watch, but a good one,” he said.
“You see the struggles that we go through and also how vulnerable we are in many ways and how much the fans and the spotlight means to me,” he said.
“It’s such a beautiful moment in time that I’m really curious to find out how people will like it. We’ll see.”
“Federer: Twelve Final Days” starts streaming on Prime Video on June 20.
(Reporting by Hanna Rantala; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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