Jelena Dokic's father, known for abusing the tennis star, dead at 67
Damir, who was believed to be 67 years old, died last Friday, Jelena confirmed in a social media post.
Advertisement
'My father passed away in the late hours on 16.05.2025,' she wrote.
'As you know my relationship with my father has been difficult and painful with a lot of history.
'Despite everything and no matter how hard, difficult and in the last 10 years even non-existent our relationship and communication was, it is never easy losing a parent and a father even one you are estranged from.
4 Damir Dokic, father of Australian tennis player Jalena Dokic watches her in action during her match against Anne Kremer, at the 1999 Wimbledon tennis Championships.
PA Images via Getty Images
Advertisement
'The loss of an estranged parent comes with a difficult and complicated grief.
'It's an end of a chapter and life as I know it.'
Just last week, Jelena talked excitedly about the prospect of becoming a mother and her desire to adopt.
Dokic, who turned 42 last month, is a beloved figure in Australian sports.
Advertisement
The former world No. 4 tennis player survived physical and emotional abuse from her father Damir to forge a successful career as a commentator and author.
Dokic continued in her post she had 'complex emotions' about Damir's death and was trying to focus on good memories of her father.
'There are lots of conflicting and complex emotions and feelings for me,' she continued.
Advertisement
'For the end of this chapter, I choose to focus on a good memory like this picture (see above).
'And as always and especially important to who I am as a person and what I want to stand for which is respect, grace, kindness, dignity and empathy, I will and want to be that person in this situation too. For now, I will leave it there.
'Please respect mine and the rest of my family's privacy at this time. Thank you to so many of you for checking in on me over the last few days and for being here for me while I navigate this difficult and complicated situation.
'And my final words. RIP.'
4 Jelena Dokic described the abuse she experienced at the hands of her father.
new york post
Dokic's post has received an outpouring of love from a wide variety of people, including some well known names in Australian sport and beyond.
Posted around 6.15pm AEST, it already has over 21,000 likes and more than 1700 comments.
Author Jessica Rowe commented: 'YOU are a remarkable woman … I'm sending you lots of love.'
Advertisement
Tennis great and fellow commentator Todd Woodbridge wrote: 'Proud of how far you have come.'
Former Australian of the Year and fellow abuse survivor Grace Tame offered: 'Thinking of you. We love you.'
Olympic swimming champion Shayna Jack wrote simply: 'Thinking of you.'
4 On the latest episode of the Mental As Anyone podcast, Dokic detailed some of the horrendous abuse she suffered that had her believing her father may actually kill her.
Associated Press
Advertisement
Dokic's heartbreaking story of resilience has inspired Australians for many years.
In a new revelation last week, the tennis great turned commentator said while she doesn't hate her father, she could never forgive him for the physical and mental abuse he put her through.
Dokic broke onto the tennis scene at just 16 years of age in 1999 as a qualifier at Wimbledon, where she stunningly upset world No. 1 Martina Hingis before going on to reach the quarter-finals.
The following year, she reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon – her best-ever grand slam result – but hidden behind the promising start to her career was a dark story that would eventually derail her career.
Advertisement
At the height of Dokic's career, her father Damir made her turn her back on Australia and switch allegiances to Yugoslavia, which saw her booed at the Australian Open by Aussie fans who blamed her.
4 Dokic broke onto the tennis scene at just 16 years of age in 1999 as a qualifier at Wimbledon, where she stunningly upset world No. 1 Martina Hingis before going on to reach the quarter-finals.
Getty Images
Dokic was born in Croatia when it was still part of Yugoslavia but moved to Australia with her family at age 11. It was a move she deeply regretted and never wanted.
From there on things went from bad to worse and as her promising career deteriorated with her father largely to blame, the tennis world began to wrap its arms around a broken Dokic.
Advertisement
But it was only in the last few years the depths of her abuse were actually revealed.
On the latest episode of the Mental As Anyone podcast, Dokic detailed some of the horrendous abuse she suffered that had her believing her father may actually kill her.
'I was kicked and punched in the head so hard that it left me unconscious and navigating through that at home, but at the same time, putting on — let's say a brave face — and being able to go out there on the court and perform,' Dokic said.
'I did leave home at the age of 19, escaped during a tennis tournament because the beatings were getting so violent and I didn't know if I was going to survive the next one.'
However, despite being a victim, Dokic said she didn't want to be viewed as that but as a survivor who has become an undoubted success in the face of adversity.
With the news of her father's passing, that horrendous chapter of her life has now come to a close.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
NFL holdouts, contract negotiation tracker: James Cook returns to practice, but Bills stop short of saying all is well
NFL training camp season is officially upon us, which means holdout/hold-in season is too as players seek new contracts. Bills running back James Cook finally returned to practice on Tuesday, nine days after he stopped practicing citing "business," presumably in regard to the new contract he wants. Cook indicated on social media back in February he wants to be paid $15 million a year, which would tie him for third-highest paid back in the NFL. He skipped voluntary offseason activities but did show up for mandatory minicamp in June, then reported to training camp on time and practiced the first eight days before beginning his hold-in. Head coach Sean McDermott said he expected Cook to practice on Tuesday, and that's exactly what happened. 'I would say that things have changed,' McDermott said. 'We have had conversations with James, good conversations, as I've mentioned before.' But does that mean the hold-in is officially over? 'Too early to go there,' McDermott said. Cook has been present for team meetings and walkthroughs during his hold-in. So this contract standoff appears to be progressing toward a conclusion, at least for now. What about the others? Are they progressing or stuck in neutral? Let's take a look. Buffalo Bills RB James Cook: Progressing Tuesday was a step forward for Cook and the Bills, on however big or small a level. Josh Allen and other Bills players publicly have Cook's back. It may go without saying, considering Cook's past two Pro Bowl seasons, but Buffalo sounds willing to make a deal too. "We tried to get something done with Jimbo, and unfortunately, you know, it's got— it takes two," GM Brandon Beane said on Aug. 4. 'And both sides have to agree on what that number is, and obviously, that hasn't gotten there. But, I'm not sitting here saying 'You don't pay running backs.' I think you just have to find what the sweet spot is.' Cincinnati Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson: Progressing Did you watch the same preseason opener we did? Where the Eagles' backups on offense tore through the Bengals' starters on defense? Yeah. Couple that with Hendrickson remaining engaged while holding in, and we're calling this one progressing toward a deal. The Bengals' need is clear as day. San Francisco 49ers WR Jauan Jennings: Progressing We'll tag this one as "progressing" too, considering head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated Monday that Brandon Aiyuk likely won't play until a month into the season, at least. There was also yet another injury to the 49ers' wide receiver room this week. Jennings reportedly did a light workout on Monday, but hasn't practiced since reportedly aggravating a calf injury on July 27 and is seeking a new contract. With the 49ers running thin at the position, it might motivate a deal to be done sooner than later. Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons: Stuck in neutral "I think it's unbelievable that there have been zero contract talks between Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys," ESPN's Adam Schefter said Monday. "There has been no progress and you have to wonder where this is going." That sounds dire. This should be an open-and-shut negotiation. Parsons is 26, younger than all the other market-resetting pass rushers who've recently agreed to new deals. He can make a solid argument he's better than all of them. And the Cowboys' defense desperately needs him. The only reason this isn't regressing is because Jerry Jones sent this whole negotiation into a tailspin on the opening day of camp with his meandering season-opening media conference, and it's only stayed silly and unnecessary from there. Dallas has a history of getting deals done late. We're leaning on that here, but boy is it getting shaky. Washington Commanders WR Terry McLaurin: Stuck in neutral From Yahoo Sports Senior NFL Reporter Charles Robinson, who swung through Commanders camp this past weekend: How far apart are the two sides? Everyone is keeping the numbers tight, but the details seep out in the contract comparables. On one side, it's the four-year, $132 million extension the Pittsburgh Steelers slotted to DK Metcalf this offseason, which included $60 million guaranteed. The other side is a little more tricky, but consider it a slightly richer version of the the four-year $92 million extension reached between Courtland Sutton and the Denver Broncos, which had $41 million in guarantees. It's not perfect apples to apples, but it gives you an idea of the divide between McLaurin and the Commanders. The key difference in the Metcalf and Sutton deals, aside from the significant divide in guaranteed money and annual average salary ($33 million AAV vs. $23 million AAV), is the fact that Metcalf signed his at 27 years old and with a Steelers team that was extremely (maybe desperately) motivated to keep him for a long period. Conversely, the Broncos did a risk-averse deal with a soon-to-be 30-year-old Sutton, who is at the horizon of his prime years. So the team and the player are still pretty far apart here. There's no outside indication teams are calling to make big offers for McLaurin, so the Commanders have some negotiating power here. Though entering a year with such big expectations — especially for Jayden Daniels, and McLaurin was a big part of his incredible rookie season — it's not an ideal situation at all.
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
WNBA ratings and attendance are still strong despite top stars missing games with injuries
NEW YORK (AP) — Even with many of its top stars sidelined, the WNBA has still had strong ratings and attendance numbers this season. Injuries have kept Caitlin Clark, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier and Angel Reese out, but that hasn't dampened fan interest in the league. ESPN games are up slightly over last season and games on ABC are up 17%. Attendance has also still been strong, thanks to the addition of the Golden State Valkyries this season, who have sold out all of their home games, averaging more than 18,000 fans. Still, it's not all been rosy for the league with negative attention coming towards the WNBA with a number of sex toys being thrown on the court at various arenas over a two-week span. That has subsided over the last few days. For the most part, even without their stars, those teams have been able to play at a high level. Minnesota has won all three games without Collier — the MVP frontrunner — who is sidelined with a right ankle sprain, to remain in first place in the standings, increasing their lead to 6 1/2 games over New York and Atlanta. Indiana has gone 6-2 over its last eight games without Clark, who has been out for nearly a month with a right groin injury. She is progressing from the injury but still is not practicing. The second-year guard told Sue Bird on her podcast that she feels a level of 'responsibility' to play, knowing that so many people have been drawn to the league because of her. 'I think that's definitely been hard. I'm going to go to every road game no matter what, whether I'm playing or not. It's hard because obviously I do feel this responsibility of being out there and playing,' Clark said. New York has been up and down without Stewart, who said she plans to be back by the end of the month from a bone bruise in her right knee. Honoring Sue The Seattle Storm will unveil a statue of Sue Bird on Saturday before the team faces Phoenix on Sunday. Seattle is the first franchise in WNBA history to dedicate a statue to a former player. Early next month, Bird will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Power poll rankings Minnesota remained the No. 1 team in the poll with Atlanta and New York still behind the Lynx. Phoenix and Las Vegas followed the Liberty. The Aces are riding a four-game winning streak. Indiana, Los Angeles and Golden State are next. Seattle fell to ninth as the Storm have lost five straight games. Washington and Dallas came after the Storm with Chicago and Connecticut rounding out the poll. Player of the week A'ja Wilson of Las Vegas was the AP player of the week after averaging 25.3 points, 13 rebounds and 3.7 assists to help the Aces win all three of their games last week. She had the first 30-point, 20-rebound game in league history in a win over Connecticut on Sunday. Other players receiving votes included Kelsey Plum of Los Angeles and Alyssa Thomas of Phoenix. Game of the week New York at Minnesota, Saturday. The Lynx beat the Liberty in New York last Sunday and now don't play again until the two teams tip off in Minnesota. New York has back-to-back games in Los Angeles and Las Vegas before heading to Minnesota. ___ AP WNBA:
Buzz Feed
17 minutes ago
- Buzz Feed
Anna Delvey Bunny Photoshoot Controversy Explained
Last week, Anna 'Delvey' Sorokin shared a series of now-viral photos from an outdoor shoot with live bunnies. Anna — who was found guilty in 2019 of multiple fraud charges, including second-degree grand larceny and theft of services, after pretending to be a wealthy German heiress — held the two rabbits on a leash as she posed around New York and flaunted her ankle monitor. This sparked a heap of backlash under Anna's post, with several internet users calling her out for using the animals as 'photo props' and allegedly 'dumping' them right afterwards. Now, Anna has addressed the uproar in a lengthy Instagram statement. 'As many of you are aware, I recently did a shoot with Jasper Soloff involving live rabbits. Christian Batty, a member of the hair team I briefly met during a fashion week event last year, responded that he knew someone who could lend us bunnies for a few hours,' she wrote. 'I later discovered that, instead of borrowing animals from a legitimate source like he claimed, he had obtained them via Facebook Marketplace and intended to release them into Prospect Park, a plan of which I had no knowledge. The idea that someone would compromise the well-being of innocent animals for personal networking opportunities is deeply disturbing to me,' Anna claimed. Anna later shared a series of alleged screenshots of texts between herself, Christian, Jasper, and publicist Kelly Cutrone. In the alleged messages, Jasper appeared to ask Christian if the rabbits they used were the same animals that were abandoned, to which Christian seemingly admitted that he had 'dumped' the bunnies. 'I was panicking with bunnies. That's the reason I dumped them,' he allegedly wrote after claiming that the original owners of the rabbits had 'blocked' him when he attempted to contact them to return them after the shoot. We'll keep you posted if anything else unfolds. Let us know what you think in the comments.
