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The curtain will come down on Andreas Seppi's long career next week at the ATP Challenger in Ortesei, which is in his home region of South Tyrol.

It's an appropriate place for the 38-year-old Italian to hang up his racquet, where he's tasted victory two times.

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But Seppi revealed he would also have liked to retire at an ATP Tour event, yet could not get a wild card despite two consecutive weeks of tournaments in Italy.

"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,'" said a statement from the player on his Instagram story.

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Fellow pro John Millman called the decision a "joke," saying he has who has had a "brilliant career" and frequently represented Italy in team competition.

Seppi's highest ATP ranking was No. 18, and he has won three tour-level titles. Currently, he is No. 257 in the rankings.