ZAGREB, Dec 15: Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic pledged to defend his homeland Croatia with his life on Saturday, while taking oath as a soldier for a compulsory six-month service.

“I will defend and protect my country at the price of my life,” a solemn Ivanisevic, clad in military uniform, shouted together with several hundred new soldiers lined up on a freezing morning in a Zagreb barracks.

“It was great, a great honour, though a bit cold,” he told journalists after the admission ceremony.

“The army will allow me to follow my plans, go away and play tournaments,” he said, adding he sought no other privileges. “I do everything other soldiers do, wait in line for food and all.”—Reuters