Seppi’s farewell was so emotional

In Seppi's honor, the red carpet was rolled out on the center court in the tennis hall in Runggaditsch on Friday evening. Hundreds of spectators came to celebrate the tennis star one last time. It was an evening in which the 38-year-old reflected on his breathtaking career, told stories of the past and also talked about his future.

“I thought I would get worse,” answered the tennis pensioner when asked how he felt after retiring. “I can’t blame myself, I’m really happy and proud of what I’ve achieved. A beautiful chapter has come to an end, but now a new one begins.” In front of his family and his coach Massimo Sartori, he remembered his beginnings. “At the beginning we drove a lot by car – even for ten hours. Money was tight, we ate a lot at McDonald's,” Seppi said with a smile. The veteran only had words of praise for his successful coach, whom he first met in 1995 at the age of eleven. “We have learned a lot from each other over the years. We have grown as people and our professional relationship has turned into real friendship. It was a special journey.”

Sartori pays tribute to Seppi “He was someone who loved tennis,” said Sartori about his protégé. “He stood on the tennis court from 14 p.m. to 19 p.m. and worked on himself when he was still a child. His commitment and dedication were his greatest strength.” The family played a big role in his career because they exemplified the right values. “Max” also emphasized that Seppi also had exceptional tennis talent. “Otherwise you won’t beat calibers like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Andy Murray. Andreas’ level was and still is very high, he would have deserved even greater success,” said Sartori.

Andreas Seppi signed autographs for the numerous young fans.

In addition to the Italian, other companions also had their say, such as Alexander Vorhauser, long-time president of the Kaltern Tennis Club. “Many people said it was a crazy idea to open a tennis club in Kaltern. And when I said the goal is to get a player into the top 100, many people said I had a bird. “In the end, Andreas stayed in the top 16 for almost 100 years,” Vorhauser told an anecdote. Before the guests ended the evening with food and drink, an emotional video was played on the big screen again, showing Seppi's greatest victories. His wife Michela and daughter Liv then entered the pitch to enjoy the ovation from the fans with their darling. “I will miss the feeling on the pitch.” Andreas Seppi “I will miss the feeling on the pitch, the atmosphere, the applause from the spectators, the adrenaline. I can now leave this out at home with the children. And when I feel nostalgic again, I can watch a few videos from the past and remember the beautiful moments,” explains Seppi. He doesn't know exactly what his future will look like. “I don’t have any clear ideas yet. We will spend the next few months in America before we come back for Christmas. “Let’s see what next year brings, many doors are open,” the Kalter native concludes. Semi-finals have been decided Even before the festival began, the quarter-finals took place. Two of the four Italians made it to the semi-finals. Serve and volley specialist Andrea Vavassori (ATP 197) defeated number 1 seed Tomas Mahac (ATP 115) 1:6, 6:3, 6:4. Flavio Cobolli (ATP 167) beat Lukas Rosol (ATP 218) 7:6, 4:6 and 6:2. The 20-year-old will now face Borna Gojo (ATP 182), who beat Giuliano Zeppieri in two sets, in the semifinals. Vavassori, on the other hand, will face Luca Nardi's conqueror, Lukas Klein (ATP 163). The games are scheduled to start at 11 a.m.

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Seppi’s farewell was so emotional

On Tuesday Andreas Seppi had his last major appearance as a tennis professional. A few days later, the Kalterer native was given his official farewell at the Challenger in Val Gardena.

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