Andreas Seppi denied wildcard for farewell tournament as more spotlight shone on Tennis Napoli Cup

Longtime Italian pro Andreas Seppi retired from tennis abruptly but he did not get a chance to say goodbye in his native Italy.

He revealed it in a short statement made on Instagram written in both English and Italian. Seppi explained that he was denied a wild card entry into the main draw as giving it to a retired player would be a 'waste'. The tone of his message clearly indicates his disappointment but the Italian Tennis Federation clearly did not care:

"I would have loved to play in the Florence or Naples tournament for my farewell to professional tennis, but unfortunately the Italian Tennis Federation did not allow me to, saying that 'giving a wild card to a retiring player would have been a waste."

The organization has been under fire recently as the beginning of the Tennis Cup in Napoli has been delayed by a day with the main draw starting only on Tuesday. The courts have been in abysmal condition forcing the organizers to strip the top layer away and make a new surface.