Dad's death ends disturbing chapter for Dokic

News.com.au

22-05-2025

By 2003, Jelena had booted Damir out of her inner circle, accusing him of 'wrecking her career' with his volatile behaviour at tournaments.
Dokic had to fight her way back into grand slam calculations, qualifying but being eliminated in the first round of the 2006 Australian Open. It was a tough part for Dokic to get back into regular grand slams, having just two qualifying attempts between the remainder of 2006 and the end of 2008 as she batted on the ITF circuit. Photo: Michael Klein
2009 was a huge year for Dokic who qualified for the Australian Open, going on what was her best run at the tournament, making the quarterfinals, defeating world No. 17 Anna Chakvetadze, world No. 11 Carline Wozniacki and world No. 29 Alisa Klaybanova in a giant-killing run before being defeated by eventual finalist and 3rd seed Dinara Safina.
It was an emotional comeback from the returned Aussie, whose performance got her back in the top 100, but she also admitted she didn't have a relationship with her father.
Dokic also returned to Australia's Fed Cup team for the first time since defecting to Yugoslavia in 2009.
Despite having been out of the public eye for many years, Damir re-emerged in 2009 after he was arrested for threatening Australia's ambassador to Serbia with a hand grenade and for illegal possession of weapons. He was sentenced to 15 moths in prison.
He appealed the sentence but it was upheld in September 2009, but ultimately reduced to 12 months and he was released in April 2010. Photo: AP Photo/Srdjan Ilic
Although Dokic could never return to the heights of her early career, she did win one more title — her only one as an Australian — at the Malaysia Open in March 2011. Photo: AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin
Dokic tried to comeback again in 2014 but ultimately finished her on-court career.
After keeping a low profile for a few years, having picked up a few gigs including coaching Daria Gavrilova and taking her first steps into media, Dokic's autobiography Unbreakable, released in 2017, uncovered the story of her life and extent of physical and mental abuse she had suffered at the hands of her father. She has since released another bestseller in Fearless: Finding the Power to Thrive and a documentary based on her life called Unbreakable: The Jelena Dokic Story.
Dokic also stepped behind the microphone, working for Fox Sports at the 2017 Australian Open before becoming one of the most beloved commentators on the Channel 9 tennis coverage.
Dokic's on court interviews regularly go viral and she's renowned for her positive interviews and lighthearted moments on the court, while also being able to offer in-depth insight. Photo by Martin KEEP / AFP
Jelena Dokic has also been public about her mental health battles stemming from her father's abuse. She has also become a staunch advocate for those suffering abuse particularly in sporting arenas as well as being open about her battles with weight and mental demons, even revealing in 2019 she had almost taken her own life. Picture: Supplied
But the beloved commentator and advocate is still going strong, lending her platform to those who need it. Speaking on the Mental as Anyone Podcast, Dokic said: 'I want people to look at me not as a victim, I'm a survivor, but most importantly, thriver, a success story. I want people to go, 'you know, she did it, I can do it too'.'. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman