"Full of adrenaline"

At 22, he still has much of his handball career ahead of him, but Marko Grgić has already achieved a lot. As the top scorer in the DAIKIN HBL, the ace back moved from ThSV Eisenach to SG Flensburg-Handewitt in the summer and quickly earned himself a permanent place in the team. Marko Grgić is now about to play in his third major tournament with the DHB team.

Marko, you come from a real handball family. Was there ever a time when handball didn't play a role for you? When did you start playing handball yourself?
Marko Grgić: I can definitely say that there was never a time when handball didn't play a role. Even when I was little, I was on the pitch with a ball. Handball has been a big part of my life from the very beginning.

What's it like today when you get together as a family: how much do you talk about handball?
Marko Grgić: Not much, because we try to make the most of the little time we have together. We all live far apart now. And handball isn't the most important thing when we get together.

Your father Danijel is currently assistant coach at TVB Stuttgart. Are you better informed about this club than about other Bundesliga clubs?
Marko Grgić: Of course I'm interested in what's going on there. I follow the games - more than other clubs. But I'm certainly not an expert on the club's history.

You've already played the home game and the cup match against Stuttgart with the SG. How do you perceive your father when he's sitting on the opponent's bench?
Marko Grgić: It was a bit different in the cup game, because we already had this special constellation on the second matchday in the DAIKIN HBL. You see each other before and after the game, but during the 60 minutes you forget about your private life. Then you're so full of adrenaline that you don't even notice who's sitting on the other bench.

About your home club: Does HG Saarlouis have good youth work?
Marko Grgić: Even if it's not a youth performance center, the club has good structures. There is a third division hall where the youth teams can already play and train. Now they have recruited new managers to make the location even more attractive and performance-oriented. Saarlouis was already doing well, now they're on a really good path.

How did you follow big-time handball as a youngster, i.e. the national team and Bundesliga?
Marko Grgić: Like any young handball player, actually. If you didn't have a youth game on your schedule, I liked to watch my sport: the national team on free TV and the league games on pay TV. Back then, I was a fan of THW Kiel. I was very impressed by the fact that they won so much and focused everything on success. With my own move into the Bundesliga, of course, being a fan was over.

Did it play a role in your move to ThSV Eisenach that you were born in the town and that your father once played there?
Marko Grgić: Neither played a role, but it rounded off the move. The sporting reasons were decisive. I was able to play in the 2nd division in Eisenach and also had other opportunities than in Saarlouis.

You've now been with the SG for just under six months. Are you happy with your move to the far north?
Marko Grgić: I'm very happy. My girlfriend and I feel at home. I've been well received by the team. However, I would have liked to have had one or two fewer minus points.

What was it like for you to play against your former club in Eisenach in October?
Marko Grgić: Good, but strange. It was a bit unusual to come as an opponent for one night to the city where you had previously lived. And when I was in the hall for the final training session, I had the feeling that I had just played and trained there. I enjoyed the great atmosphere in Eisenach. We are one of the few teams that didn't stumble there.

The Eisenach hall is definitely a cauldron. Now you're playing in "Hell North". How do the atmospheres differ?
Marko Grgić: The arena is bigger in Flensburg, which makes it even louder - and there are even more fans there. Otherwise, it's very similar: in Flensburg and Eisenach, there are a lot of positive crazy people who do everything they can to make sure their team is successful. It is extremely difficult for the opposing teams to win in both arenas.

What is very different about the SG compared to ThSV Eisenach?
Marko Grgić: The structures are bigger at the SG and everything runs more smoothly. They have their own training hall, good weight rooms and a good academy. We can always use everything. Nobody has to organize a key - like in Eisenach, where the rooms used to be locked.

20251211-IAJ10711 — Determined on the pitch.

How do you like it in Flensburg? What do you do in your free time?
Marko Grgić: I enjoy the time I spend at home. I'm already a couch potato. Together with my girlfriend, I live near the city center. We can quickly walk to a café or go out for a bite to eat.

January is dominated by the European Championships. What are you planning to do with the DHB team?
Marko Grgić: We're only now discussing exactly what we're planning to do in preparation. We definitely have a very tough group with Austria, Serbia and Spain, perhaps the toughest ever in a preliminary round. If we get through it well, we'll need two or three very good games to go very far.

Last year, the DHB team played the World Championship in Herning. Is it an advantage to already know the venue?
Marko Grgić: It's nice that we don't have to change cities throughout the tournament. That's also an advantage in terms of logistics and recovery. But it's certainly not an advantage to have to play against 15,000 Danes in Herning.

In preparation, you will play Croatia, your father's home country, twice. Will they be two special international matches?
Marko Grgić: It's always something special against Croatia. I'm German, but I'm also half Croatian and feel drawn to the country. My family is from there, my grandma lives in Croatia.

How well do you know Croatia?
Marko Grgić: I only lived in Croatia for a year. My father played in Zagreb back then and I was only three years old. Now we're always on vacation on the Adriatic in the summer. I know the country, but I can't tell you where the hot spots or the best cafés are.

20251011-IAJ34409 — The European Championships in view.

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