Rudy: “Everyone wants to beat the reigning champions and that makes us even stronger and hungrier”
“We have an incredible opportunity to keep making history with this club," he said.
Rudy Fernández also spoke to the press, as he reflected on Real Madrid's motivation ahead of their latest Final Four appearance: “We're representing a historic club and the trophies speak for themselves. Everyone wants to beat the one who has the most, we are Real Madrid. Every team wants to beat the reigning champions and retaining our title would be a historic feat. That responsibility makes us even stronger and hungrier. The motivation comes from the significance of what we're playing for, especially in the Final Four as defending champions. I like to speak about opportunities and it's thanks to those I have been able to win so many trophies. We have an incredible opportunity to keep making history with this club, it's unbelievable. I have lifted three EuroLeague trophies and I'm hoping for a fourth."
“It's a great achievement, especially when you see how competitive the EuroLeague is. The work done by everyone upstairs is important. The president, Juan Carlos and Alberto are doing all they can to continue the project that began two decades ago. We've lost important players but we've brought in others who have settled in brilliantly. This is a family and the crest comes first. That's what has allowed us to enjoy so much success. The veterans make it clear that we're representing a crest with so much history and that comes before everything else. When I arrived here, I was welcomed and made to understand the philosophy of the club. We try and make people understand this is a family, as Ancelotti said. Every team is united and the club helps us feel part of that."
Olympiacos
“We're up against a historic team with several good players. We know them well and in these competitions, we just have to focus on our job. We know what strong opponents they are, they have real experience. If we are at our level and show the solidity we have throughout the season, we have every chance of reaching another final. But we know we're up against a physical team that fights hard. We'll have to be hard from the off and they will have a lot of fans there too. We're faced with a demanding but amazing opportunity."
The demands of this Final Four
“There are two Greek teams, a Turkish team and a Spanish one. Four really competitive outfits with a lot of history in the EuroLeague. We have come up against Olympiacos in lots of Final Fours and they have more experience against us than anyone. It's a bit of a banana skin because in the Regular Season, they weren't like last year. We're coming into it on a high and they won Game 5 at the Palau, that's far from easy. They'll be eager to beat us because we got the better of them in the final last year."
Key areas
“We haven't seen the type of defense I like to see in the last few games. We conceded a lot of points and that will be the key to winning this. We have to focus on the defense because we're loaded with offensive talent. If we dig our heels in, we're really tough to beat."
His motivation
“I'm going into it as if it were the first time. I've experienced it many times and I think that once you get this far, I can't wait to play, compete and help the team. I'm keen to return to Berlin too, I have great memories there of the European Championships with Spain. I want to enjoy myself with my teammates and enjoy a fantastic atmosphere on court."