Serbian coach: We are in the most difficult group in the European Championships and will respect every opponent

The 2025 Men's Basketball European Championship is about to kick off. Serbia, one of the favorites to win the championship, will start the group stage in Riga and face Estonia for the first time. On the eve of the opening match, Serbian coach Svetislav Pesic shared the team's expectations for the game and emphasized that it is necessary to "cool down" the excessive popularity around the team - this team led by Jokic aims directly to the highest honor of the game.

"We are in the most difficult group of this tournament and have to play against the host Latvia, so we must be in awe. There are two highly competitive medal contenders in our group, and Turkey is one of them. There are about 6 in this European Championship To 8 teams have the ability to compete for medals, and even the ninth and tenth teams may stand out. This is the case. I hope everyone can pass this on to fans and professionals, so that everyone can see the reality and look at it rationally: we are not the strongest team in the world, after all, there is also the defending world champion German team participating in this event. Only fans have the right to look forward to it. The media and experts may wish to appropriately lower their expectations. Our expectations for ourselves are actually far higher than the outside world imagines, but we will only focus on the tasks in front of us every day. So I emphasize again: the group we are in is the most difficult group in this event." Pesic said at a pre-match press conference in Riga.

He also talked about Serbia's first opponent, Estonia: "I don't know how other coaches or players view the men's basketball European Championships, but we have great respect for each opponent. Our preparations will not change depending on the opponent. No matter who the opponent is, we will polish our tactics and strengthen our personal abilities. We represent Serbian basketball, which will always focus on being ourselves while respecting our opponents. We know that Estonia will definitely carry a special fighting spirit when playing against us, so if we want to control the situation of the game, we must at least show the same desire to win as them."

The famous Serbian tennis player Djokovic sent a support message to the national team, and Pesic responded enthusiastically: "We have blessings to him as much as we have to give ourselves, and even more Many. Just like we fight each game one by one, we hope he can stay healthy and prepare, because as long as Djokovic is healthy, he can create countless possibilities. First of all, we wish him good health and worry-free; as for other goals, I believe he is sure of it."

Serbian captain and Clippers defender Bogdanovic emphasized that the team's focus is always "team" rather than a single opponent: "When we prepare for the game, especially in events like the European Championship, the core is always team basketball, which is also our style. We will focus on our own performance, and the first game will be coming soon. Obviously, this game will be very difficult, and the first game of the competition has always been like this. We will give the Estonian team the greatest respect."

He also recognizes that Turkey is one of the strongest opponents of Serbia in Group A. In addition to the first match between Estonia, Serbia will also play against the hosts Latvia, Portugal and Czech in Group A. "Turkey is one of the most powerful opponents in the group. This is how basketball games are. Anyone can win, and anyone can play a day of overwhelming form. But now, our attention is all about Estonia. Perhaps the significance of a subsequent game will be more important, but the most important thing at the moment is always the next game."