Melli: I am very happy to be back in Istanbul and Fenerbahçe
Melli had previously defended the colors of Fenerbahce from 2017 to 2019
Nicolò Melli’s interview with Fenerbahce’s official TV channel.
His statements:
“I am very happy to be back. It has been 5 years, but it feels like much longer… I am very happy and excited to have received this opportunity from Fener. I really missed Istanbul. After the NBA, I went to Milan. The game when Fenerbahçe came to Milan was probably one of the toughest of my life… I can even speak on behalf of my wife. She feels the same, we missed Istanbul a lot. Even though we didn’t reach our goal in EuroLeague, those were fantastic years. Experiences are more important than results. I had great relationships with my teammates, the whole staff, and the coaches. I hope things go the same way from now on.”
His NBA experience:
“It was really great. The biggest misfortune was that it coincided with the Covid period, and that was a big problem. At the same time, after the coach change, things didn’t go very well, but in the end, I am grateful to have had such an experience; I got to meet the best athletes in the world.”
Melli expressed his happiness about working with coach Jasikevicius:
“Sarunas’s successes show what kind of coach he is. I am very lucky to work with him, and we will all see what happens both on and off the court.”
On the decision to return to Fenerbahçe:
“Of course, I talked about it with my wife first, because we have a little girl and our second is on the way. She has always supported me from the very beginning. As I said at the beginning of the interview, we missed Istanbul a lot. Then I talked to my manager and other family members, and when they all supported me, it was a very easy decision.”
On the preseason work so far:
“Everything is going well so far. We didn’t manage to do what we wanted in the first game, but I am sure we will get better every day. There are players who have been playing together for a long time, and other experienced ones who have just joined the team. All of Europe knows this organization… A museum was opened at Fenerbahçe Ülker Sports and Event Hall. It’s really a great place to show the history and successes of this club. It motivates all the players to be part of history, and that’s why I am so happy to be here.”
Finally, on his relationship with the Turkish club’s fans:
“They supported me a lot, and everyone was happy about my return. I am also very happy to be back in Istanbul and Fenerbahçe. I can’t wait to get back into that atmosphere with the yellow and navy blue…”.