Sertac Sanli talks Fenerbahce's road to Final Four, matchup vs. PAO / News - Basketnews.com

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul player Sertac Sanli talked about how they made it to the EuroLeague Final Four and touched upon the semifinal game versus Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens.

Credit: Tolga Adanali/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Tolga Adanali/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

In a season to remember, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Sertac Sanli rose up against the odds to get into the 2024 EuroLeague Final Four in Berlin.

Sertac Sanli

Team:Fenerbahce Beko IstanbulPosition:CAge:33Height:212 cmWeight:115 kgBirth place:Istanbul, TurkeyProfileNewsStatistics

The team, guided by coach Sarunas Jasikevicius, won against AS Monaco 3-2 in the playoffs, becoming the first team in modern EuroLeague history to defeat the team with the homecourt advantage in Game 5.

Now, they wait anxiously for May 24, when they will meet Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens for the semifinal game.

In an interview with Turkish newspaper Milliyet, Sanli talked about the playoff series vs. Monaco and what he expects from the matchup with PAO.

"We had the first game of the series in our sights. We wanted to send a strong message from the first game, and we got what we wanted with a good game," explained Sanli about Fenerbahce's Game 1 victory vs. Monaco.

"The last game is a completely different story. Everyone was aware of the seriousness and importance of the situation. We really wanted to go to the Final Four. We did our best until the last ball, and finally, we got what we wanted," he continued.

The road to the Final Four has definitely not been easy for Fenerbahce. After blowing out Monaco in Game 3 and going up 2-1, they suffered a tough defeat in Game 4 at home which forced a Game 5 on the series.

"Of course, we were all very sad," Sanli recalled. "We wanted to go to Berlin with a win in front of our home crowd, but it didn't happen. We didn't win on the last possession."

"After that, we had a little time to recover, but we did it. It was obvious how much we wanted to go to the Final Four, so we motivated each other," he revealed. "The only thing we had in our minds going to Monaco was to win. We weren't thinking about anything else."

Sertac Sanli

MIN:11.76PTS:4.42 (50%)REB:1.94As:0.36ST:0.09BL:0.36TO:0.52GM:33ProfileEuroLeague2023/2024

When the team obtained the win in Game 5, jubilant celebrations followed of course. Team coach Jasikevicius had stated in the post-game presser that it would be difficult to land the plane to Istanbul. Sanli kept quiet about what transpired on the plane.

"Of course, we were very happy to make it to the Final Four. We worked really hard all season, and we started to reap the rewards of our efforts. It has been a bit tiring and fun journey, of course. What happened is up to us," he said with a laugh.

Later on, the Turkish center talked about the upcoming semifinal game against PAO, the Greek team led by his former coach, Ergin Ataman.

"Of course, it is an exciting match for both teams. Playing against such an important team gives us extra motivation. It will be a tough match, of course," Sanli explained. "They also reached the Final Four after many years."

Ergin AtamanCredit Vangelis Stolis

"But our goal is to reach the final first and then the championship, which we have been dreaming of all season long. I have worked with Ergin Ataman for many years, and we have achieved many successes together," the big man recalled about his former coach.

"Even though he is my coach in the national team, I will do my best to beat him this time because this is a fight without redress for both sides," Sanli said.

Finally, the Fenerbahce player addressed the fan situation in Berlin, which is slated to be chaotic with not just PAO and Fenerbahce but also with Olympiacos Piraeus.

"Everyone knows how passionate the Greek fans are. But the whole world also knows our fans," he said. "They will support us until the final whistle in Berlin, as they have done all season."

"There are a lot of Turks in Berlin; we will play as the hosts," he said confidently. "I am sure that we will be the majority of those who support us in the hall. For 40 minutes, I believe they will create an atmosphere like in Istanbul," Sanli concluded.

In his first season with Fenerbahce, Sanli averaged 4.4 points and 1.9 rebounds in the regular season. He previously won the EuroLeague in 2021-22 as a player of Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

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