"When I hear the anthem, see my flag, I'm ready to go and do whatever I have to; if I had to eat this court inch by inch, I would eat it no problem" - Borna Gojo on how the Davis Cup brings the best out of him

At 24 years of age, Borna Gojo has his entire tennis career ahead of him. The farthest the Croat has reached at a Grand Slam so far has been the second round, which he achieved at the French Open this year. Currently at World No. 164, his best-ever ranking, Gojo has more losses than wins on the ATP Tour at the moment and zero top-10 wins as of today.

Yet, playing against World No. 37 Sebastian Baez in the Davis Cup Finals on Saturday, the 24-year-old pulled off a massive upset, beating him in the first rubber to give his team first blood. Croatia went on to take the tie 3-0, with victories for Borna Coric and doubles pair Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic.

Speaking at his press conference afterward, Borna Gojo attributed his newfound motivation to his sense of national pride, remarking that he thought of all those who had given their lives for Croatia in the past and that he wanted to make them proud on such a big stage.

Once he hears the anthem and sees his national flag fluttering in the wind, the World No. 164 feels himself transforming into someone ready to do whatever it takes. Even if he has to eat the court inch by inch, it is not a problem for Gojo, who declared that he will do anything for his country.

"Yeah, definitely big national pride, at least in my case. I know the history of our country. A lot of people sacrificed a lot to give us the country that we have. When I hear the anthem, when I see my flag, I'm ready to go and do whatever I have to," Borna Gojo said. "If I had to, I don't know, eat this court inch by inch, I would eat it, no problem. I do whatever."

At the same time, the Croat found himself wondering why he could not bring that motivation up when he was toiling away on the Challenger Tour, admitting that perhaps the lack of a big stage made it difficult for him to find his fire.

"As to why I can't do it for myself? I would like to know the answer. I don't know. I try hard. When you're going through these challengers and stuff, it's not always crowd around, not always people," Borna Gojo said. "There's you and your coach. You're, like, just trying to battle around. It's not a big stage."

However, Gojo remains confident that he is slowly improving this particular aspect of his tennis, and sees no reason why he cannot have the same success on the ATP Tour in the coming days.

"Some weeks you just struggle to find the motivation. You're just kind of losing money every week. You're like, Why am I doing this? I'm like 160 in the world. I cannot make any money if I don't play Davis Cup or Grand Slams," Borna Gojo said. "If you don't do well in Grand Slams, you're going to lose money. It's very tough. But I think I'm improving. I think I'm going to get there and I'm going to be able to play even better for my country."

"This is why I play tennis, to play for my country; it's probably the only thing that matters to me in the year" - Borna Gojo

Borna Gojo at the Rothesay Open Nottingham

Borna Gojo further added that the Davis Cup is the only event that matters to him in a season at this point in his career, remarking that he gives his "180%" at every match irrespective of the moment. The Croat has five wins and five losses at the event, with his most notable victories coming against Lorenzo Sonego and Laslo Djere in the past.

"This is why I play tennis, to play for my country. It's probably the only thing that matters to me in the year. I mean, I try to try hard all the time, but it's not that easy," Borna Gojo said. "When I'm here, I really thrive and I enjoy and I feel very proud and responsible. I give 180%."

Interestingly, Gojo might not have even been part of Croatia's Davis Cup squad had their No. 1 player, Marin Cilic, been fit. If they clear the group stage and reach the quarterfinals, the 24-year-old hopes Cilic can join them, even if it means he himself might have to miss out on playing a singles tie.

"All the guys from the team this week, they know how much I struggled, at times I wasn't feeling my best. So happy that I managed to pull this one, bring the point to the team. Yeah, just enjoying Davis Cup a lot. Unfortunately it's always someone doesn't come when I play," Borna Gojo said. "Last year unfortunately Borna was hurt. This year Marin couldn't come, so I step in and play, which makes me very happy. Hopefully if we pass the group, Marin can join us also."

Also Checkout:- Davis Cup 2022 Results