Croats (Croatian: Hrvati) are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have migrated throughout the world, and established a notable Croatian diaspora. Large Croat communities exists in The United States, Chile, Argentina, Germany, Austria, Australia, Peru, Canada, Serbia, New Zealand and South Africa. Croats are noted for their culture, which has been influenced by a number of other neighbouring cultures through the ages. The strongest influences came from Central Europe and the Mediterranean where, at the same time, Croats have made their own contribution. The Croats are predominantly Catholic with minor groups of Protestants, Muslims, Orthodox, Jews and secular non religious atheists and agnostics. Their language is Croatian.

Croatia is the nation state of the Croats, while in the adjacent Bosnia and Herzegovina they are one of the three constituent peoples alongside Bosniaks and Serbs.

Darijo Srna (pronounced [daːrio sr̩na]; born 1 May 1982) is a Croatian footballer who plays for Shakhtar Donetsk as a captain and is also the captain of the Croatian national team.

Srna was born in Metković.

Srna's talent was seen by many scouts in Croatia while he was young. He was later signed by Hajduk Split as his talent became desirable for the Croatian giants.

At Hajduk, Srna won the 1999–2000 Croatian Cup, 2002–03 Croatian Cup and the 2000–01 Prva HNL. They played in the first round of 1999–2000 UEFA Cup, 2001–02 UEFA Cup, 2002–03 UEFA Cup, as well as the second round of the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League and the third round of the 2001–02 UEFA Champions League.

In 2003, Srna was sold, along with Stipe Pletikosa to Shakhtar Donetsk. He is a common member and the captain in his club side, for whom he has made a large impact in the league.

After the 2006 World Cup, Benfica were reported to be after the player's signature but nothing materialized, with what many considered a fallen or rejected sale. Since then, he has been linked with a number of other clubs, including S.S. Lazio.

Novak Djokovic (Serbian: Новак Ђоковић or Novak Đoković; pronounced [nɔ̂ʋaːk dʑɔ̂ːkɔʋitɕ] ( listen); born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked World No. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) since 4 July 2011. He has won five Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008, 2011 and 2012 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open. By winning three Majors in 2011, Djokovic became the sixth male player in the open era to win three Majors in a calendar year.

He is the first male player representing Serbia to win a Major singles title and the youngest player in the open era to have reached the semifinals of all four Grand Slam events, separately and consecutively. Amongst other titles, he won the Tennis Masters Cup in 2008 and was on the team which won the 2010 Davis Cup. He also won the bronze medal in singles at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He has won 11 Masters 1000 series titles placing him joint fourth on the all time list. Djokovic has quickly moved up in the rankings of history. Tennis Channel ranked him number 40 , and former player Pat Cash said he is one of the greatest ever.

David Diehl ( /ˈdiːl/; born September 15, 1980 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American football offensive lineman with the New York Giants of the National Football League and is one of only two offensive lineman who entered the NFL in 2003 to start all 80 regular season games through the end of the 2008 season.

Diehl was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 15, 1980. He is of Croatian descent on his mother's side, and of German descent on his father's side. When he was younger Diehl frequently visited, with his family, local Croatian churches and emigrant clubs in Chicago. Strong bonds with Croatian-Americans have been proved when he continued with that habit even after he moved to New Jersey, where local Croatian community often have him as a visitor.

Diehl attended Brother Rice High School in Chicago, where he starred for the football, wrestling, and track teams. He also attended St. Linus Grammar school in Oak Lawn, Illinois.

Diehl attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he became a second-team All-Big Ten Conference selection as a senior in 2002. Recipient of the Wright Commitment to Excellence Award, presented to the Illinois player who has dedicated himself to academic excellence despite obstacles faced during his collegiate career. Started every game at left offensive guard, registering 91 knockdowns for an offense that featured its first 1,000-yard rusher (Antoineo Harris) and 1,000-yard receiver (Brandon Lloyd) in the same season since 1984. Helped offense total 5,356 yards. In 2001, saw action at both guard and tackle. Registered 56 knockdowns as he participated in 385 plays for an offense that gained 5,041 yards as the line allowed only 16 quarterback sacks (second in the Big Ten). In 2000, was valuable reserve, seeing action in every game at right guard. Made 15 knockdowns as he participated in 43 plays. In 1999: Played in 6 games on the field goal and extra point protection units. Redshirted as a freshman in 1998.