Many tennis players begin the sport from a young age. They might not fully commit to pursuing it as a profession until later, but they at least spend time on court early on.

Borna Gojo, however, began playing tennis aged 12 because he was upset with his football coach. On Sunday, he will compete in the biggest tennis-only stadium in the world, Arthur Ashe Stadium, against 23-time major winner Novak Djokovic for a place in the US Open quarter-finals.

“Anyone besides my family probably never thought that I was going to be any good,” Gojo told ATPTour.com. “But yeah, I just kind of stuck with it and just didn’t want to quit.”

It might not have happened if Gojo’s family had not moved homes to a location that was near tennis courts.

“I started looking at tennis a little bit, but I was still doing football. And then at some point, I just got mad at my coach. I was a kid and I didn’t really want to play anymore. I was like, ‘No, I’ll just play tennis.’ So I just went and played both a little bit,” Gojo said. “Then I just liked that I was alone and I didn’t have to take anyone’s directions or whatever. I don’t know how to say besides other people’s sh**. So yeah, that kind of made me change sports really late.”

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Gojo does not fully remember why he was upset with his football coach.

“I think he was making me stay after practice and do some extra stuff,” Gojo said. “I was a kid, I wanted to just go out on the street, play with the other kids. So yeah, I was just mad about that and I was like, ‘No’.”

The 25-year-old explained that at the time, he was playing football for the best junior club in Croatia. He is not sure what would have happened had he continued the sport, but “I’d like to think I was good”.

Early on in his tennis journey, Gojo would hit against a wall or play with friends. There were three categories of local tournaments and without much practice, he won a tournament at the middle level. That made him think he had a chance of succeeding in the sport.

Gojo became one of the best juniors in Croatia, but was not a prominent prospect internationally. He did not compete in a junior major or crack the Top 100 in the ITF Junior Rankings.

“I didn’t really want to go to college. But then, for some reason, I started talking to the assistant coach at Wake Forest. And as soon as I started talking to him, the head coach flew out the next day to see me in Zagreb, Croatia,” Gojo said. “I really respected that hustle. So I said, ‘Listen, I’m not sure that I’m going to college. But if I do come to college, I won’t consider anyone else. I’ll come to you because I respect what you did.’”

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Gojo would attend Wake Forest University, where he became one of the best players in college tennis. In 2018, he reached the final of the NCAA Singles tournament, losing to teammate Petros Chrysochos.

“My goal was to just go one semester and then call it quits and just continue playing, but then I really just liked the school and the people and the life and I wasn’t ready to be a pro,” Gojo said. “So I had no doubt in my mind that I’ll stay more, and so I stayed more.”

The native of Split has been on the rise since, led by his booming serve and fearless game. For months, he has been on the doorstep of the Top 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. He made a bet with his coach that he would dye his hair blond once he reached the milestone. Ahead of the US Open Gojo got sick of waiting, and the move has paid dividends.

For a Croatian who grew up playing football before embarking on his tennis career, it is surprising that Gojo’s favourite athlete is former NBA star Allen Iverson.

“I just liked that he was obviously very good at what he does. But then he was also just true to himself. I appreciate that. I respect that,” Gojo said. “What I know — I am not his best friend, so I’m not around him all the time — but he was kind of a guy that was straight up, no bullsh**, and I really like that. And he seems like the guy who really backs it up and not just talks, so I respect that.”

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It is fitting that Gojo says his best quality is his honesty and his worst quality is being too honest. Regardless, his mentality is working on the court, and he will try to show his best against Djokovic.

At the 2021 Australian Open, Gojo lost in the final round of qualifying and was waiting to see if he would receive a lucky loser spot. That was when he spent the most time with Djokovic.

“I didn’t get in and obviously I was there with a lot of time, nothing to do. So I was just available whenever he needed me to come and hit. So I did,” Gojo said. “I practised at his academy one preseason, actually two years ago. We didn’t practise because he wasn’t practising at that time. But yeah, he came on court once and gave me some advice.”

The Croatian has plenty of respect for not just the 23-time major winner’s tennis, but his perseverance.

“The guy is the best to ever play, so that’s pretty good. I definitely have unbelievable respect for him and what he has done, because I always think it’s much tougher to make it when you’re from a country like Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, because we don’t have nothing,” Gojo said. “I really respect that about him, where he has come from to make it to be the best ever.”