BREAKING NEWS Jelena Dokic's abusive father dies with the tennis legend posting an emotional message to social media
Aussie tennis legend turned commentator Jelena Dokic has revealed that her estranged dad has died.
She took to social media on Wednesday to reveal that Damir Dokic died last Friday night.
'As you know my relationship with my father has been difficult and painful with a lot of history,' she said.
'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.
'The loss of an estranged parent comes with a difficult and complicated grief.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Footy great posts hilarious video showing how he turned the tables on a scammer who tried to fleece him for $1000
A former footy great has revealed how he has turned the tables an online scammer. Parramatta great Eric Grothe Jnr shared a hilarious interaction he had with an online fraudster on his Instagram, revealing how he had been approached by the scammer, who tried to dupe him for a large sum of cash. Grothe posted three videos on his Instagram showcasing the interaction with the scammer who had asked him to send him money as well as buy him gift cards from Amazon. Gift card scams have become a prevalent way for con artists to obtain money from individuals as they are often hard to trace and give victims little protection to recover their funds. The interaction between Grothe and the scammer began with the individual asking the former rugby league star to send him $200 US before he began toying with the scammer. The fraudster had appeared to drop into the 45-year-old's direct messages on Instagram, with Grothe replying: 'What do you need the money for?' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Eric Grothe Jr (@ericgrothejr) 'Medicine,' the individual replied. Appearing cautious at the start, Grothe responded: 'If you really need the money and you're legitimate I'm sure you'd understand that there are so many scams out there that I can't give money without proof. 'Can you please send me a photo of yourself holding a piece of paper with my name on it? If so, I can help you out.' The scammer appeared to have created a false identity by taking pictures of another individual and falsely using them for their display picture. The scammer later replied by sending back a heavily photoshopped image of a woman, holding a piece of paper. The person appeared to have scribbled the name 'Eric Grothe' in poor handwriting that looked like it had been written digitally on a program like Photoshop. 'I will be so happy if you really help me out Eric,' the fraudster added. Grothe replied: 'OK and last one and I will give you the money straight away. With that exact same piece of paper, also hold up four fingers and make sure your face is showing as well. 'Once this is done I will forward the money to you immediately. Thank you.' Grothe enjoyed a distinguished career in rugby league's top flight, making 142 appearances cumulatively for the Eels and the Roosters, while also being capped for the Kangaroos once. The trickster then questioned how they might complete his request before attempting to give the former Eels star a guilt trip. 'I'm feeling really weak I just tried my best to do that so if you're really gonna help me just do it now,' they wrote adding two 'crying face emojis'. The conversation continued, with the fraudster asking Grothe where he lived and whether he used PayPal. According to ScamWatch, the Australian government has reported 72,230 scams in the past six months with losses from fishing, romance and investment frauds costing Australians approximately $118,993,148.20. 'Scams work because they look like the real thing and scammers contact you when you're not expecting it or are busy trying to do many things at once,' ScamWatch wrote. It adds that scammers attempt to 'create believable stories that convince you to give them your money, financial or personal details.' 'Scammers try to use your good nature against you. They tell heartbreaking or tragic stories to convince you to help them and give them money. 'Always be wary of any appeal for money and never give more money than you are willing to lose if you can't independently confirm that the story is true.' Grothe then began to joke with the fraudster, writing: 'A rich grandparent passed away and left my brother and I almost $4.5million each. I really want to share it with trustworthy people.' The scammer pressed him again: 'If you're really going to help me, just do it dear am not feeling so good.' Grothe questioned whether the individual was sick, to which they replied: 'Yes I am having hot temperatures and headaches. So I wanna visit a hospital but am so broke now to do anything cause my work has not been good lately.' Grothe responded: 'OK that's not a good sign. I'm going to have to help you. Tell me, does it also feel like somebody slammed your body down and wound it all around?' 'Yes, my bones feel so weak now,' the scammer said, before asking again whether to send their PayPal details. Grothe hilariously then joked that he was starting to fall 'completely in love' with the scammer. 'Aahh man I can't believe I'm saying this. Do you feel what I feel? You do. I know it,' he wrote, before adding that he was going to send the scammer 'so much money today' before asking how. 'OK darling you might be the right man for me so am not gonna say no,' the scammer replied. But Grothe pushed the joke further: 'My whole family are helping me write this because I'm so emotional.' He hilariously told the fraudster he loved them before adding: 'Whatever is mine is yours.' The fraudster again asked him if he could send the money over so that they could visit the hospital. Grothe, instead, deflected the question again confessing his love for the fraudster adding that he was going to send them half of his inheritance. 'I know we are supposed to be together,' he joked. 'I know I'm coming on a little strong but when you know, you understand and when you understand you finally come to get it and then you work it out and once you've worked it out, it's there for all to see!' The scammer simply replied: 'OK' before again asking him to send them the money on multiple occasions, adding that they would accept $2,000 instead of $2m. The conversation continued as Grothe continued to play the scammer at their own game, joking: 'I'm so lucky to be your man.' Appearing more frustrated as the back and forth continued, the scammer wrote: 'My man must care about my health, it seems you just lie to me about helping me with some money.' Grothe kept up the running joke, replying: 'Baby! We can work it out!' 'Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend. I have always thought that it was a crime. So I will ask you once again. 'Won't you try to see it my way? Do I have to keep on talking till I can't go on? 'If you need this money, help me send it to you right now. I'm sick of all this back and forth. I'm an action-taker. If I see action I will take it. A taker of action, if you will.' The exchange continued on in the same fashion, with Grothe seeing through the fraudster's scheme, as they repeatedly asked him if he used PayPal. 'Don't call me Pal,' Grothe hilariously quipped back. In a later video, the former NRL star revealed that the scammer had then asked him to buy them multiple Steam vouchers on Amazon, totalling around $1,000. The conversation even went as far as seeing the scammer explain to the former Eels star how to redeem the vouchers, with Grothe hilariously playing dumb, purposefully wasting the scammer's time. He even went as far as sending them back a video of the fuel dial on his car, when the scammer asked him to click on a link to buy the vouchers. The scammer continued to press him, but Grothe continued to mislead the individual by hilariously joking that his ex had come back. The scammer appeared furious replying: 'You don't seem to have respect for me.' They added: 'You sound so annoying, you talk about your ex every minute I don't want to share my man if you're for me you should be only for me and no one else.' The long exchange culminated in a rather humerous ending with Grothe saying: 'I think I'm done.' The scammer replied: 'OK'. ScamWatch urges caution to individuals before giving money or personal information to those they don't know or are unsure of. They urge members of the public to 'stop' and 'check'. 'Ask yourself: "Could the message or call be fake?"' They urge members of the public to 'act quickly and contact a bank if a scammer gets your money and report scams to ScamWatch.'
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Owen Farrell to join Sky Sports punditry team for Lions opener
Owen Farrell will join the Sky Sports punditry team for the British and Irish Lions ' match against Argentina in Dublin a week on Friday. It is understood that this commitment would not rule the 33-year-old out of a tour call-up, even though Farrell has not played for his club, Racing 92, since early May. Farrell will be unveiled on Thursday as part of a Sky Sports line-up that also features Telegraph Sport columnists Warren Gatland, Will Greenwood and Sir Ian McGeechan as well as Dan Biggar, Sam Warburton and Ronan O'Gara. Kyle Sinckler, John Barclay and Danielle Waterman are all set to appear at some point over the coming weeks, though Farrell is understood to be working only on the Aviva Stadium fixture at this stage. Alex Payne will front the coverage, which will be studio-based for the warm-up matches until moving over to Australia when the Test series begins on July 19. Gatland, Biggar and O'Gara are due to travel as well, though Warburton, who captained the Lions in 2013 and 2017, will remain in the United Kingdom in a tactical analysis role. Biggar, who retired from playing this season, has been earmarked as a lead summariser for Sky Sports, four years after starting all three Tests for the Lions against South Africa at fly-half. Andy Farrell, the Lions head coach, suggested that there could be a way for Owen to be involved in the tour despite not picking his son in the initial squad of 38 that was unveiled on May 8. 'He was in the conversation, obviously,' said Andy Farrell of Owen. 'An experienced player like that who is going for his fourth tour. You cover all bases, that's for sure, with the leadership qualities and all of that. But we got to a point where, like a few other players as well, we feel that Owen's still trying to find his way a little bit back to fitness. 'There's 38 picked, which leaves a couple of slots open for us during the track if and when needed. And Owen, like a few other guys as well, would be in that type of bracket. 'We've left ourselves some wiggle room to be able to see how people progress because there are a few guys that are trying to play back into fitness, form, etc, so we'll see what we've got and if or when that's needed, we'd like to call them. 'Do we need a blend of a player that can play a couple different positions? Is there a player that's carrying a bit of an injury and might need to manage it within training? Is there a guy that might be over for three weeks, but he's definitely worth taking? Is it leadership that we need? We'll see.' Fin Smith and Marcus Smith are the fly-halves who are currently part of the Lions' preparations in Portugal, with centres Sione Tuipulotu and Bundee Aki also having joined up with the squad. Owen Farrell suffered a concussion in Racing 92's loss to Lyon in the Challenge Cup on May 4 and has not featured for the Paris side since amid rumours of a return to Saracens. Racing 92 finished a disappointing Top 14 campaign by beating Lyon 47-34 last weekend, the departing Henry Arundell scoring two tries to help them register 10th place. Sinckler, a former England team-mate of Farrell now poised to be a Sky Sports colleague, must be an attractive proposition for the Lions given the injury issues at tighthead prop that have seen Zander Fagerson drop out and Asher Opoku-Fordjour come in as training cover. Andy Farrell would have to wait to bring in Sinckler, though, given that Toulon have qualified for the quarter-final round of the Top 14 and are hosting Castres on Saturday.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Owen Farrell WILL be a part of British & Irish Lions' clash against Argentina in surprise role... despite not being picked for Australia tour
Owen Farrell will be a part of the British & Irish Lions' tour opener with Argentina – after signing a deal to work for Sky Sports as a pundit for the Dublin clash. Former England captain Farrell, who looks set to return to Saracens this summer, missed out on selection for the squad which will travel to Australia after an injury-hit first season in France with Racing 92. Farrell's dad and Ireland coach Andy is in charge of the Lions. Owen Farrell 's previous history with the iconic northern hemisphere side – he has been on three previous tours in 2013, 2017 and 2021 – means he was in contention this year. And while a Lions playing call-up in 2025 can't yet be totally ruled out, Owen Farrell will be pitchside rather than on the field at the Aviva Stadium a week on Friday. The Lions play their first match on Irish soil with the talented Pumas their opposition before then flying Down Under to take on the Wallabies. Owen Farrell's new broadcast role will be for the Argentina match only and he won't work for Sky in Australia. It means he is set to comment on the team coached by his father Andy and will in all likelihood speak for the first time about a potential move back to Saracens from Parisian side Racing. Former Lions coaches Warren Gatland and Sir Ian McGeechan will be a part of Sky's tour coverage in Australia while other notable former players including Dan Biggar, Ronan O'Gara, Will Greenwood, Kyle Sinckler, John Barclay, Conor Murray and Nolli Waterman will also be regular on-screen presences in the months to come. Analysis led by Sam Warburton, a two-time Lions captain and the winning skipper from the 2013 tour to Australia, will be anchored from Sky's state-of-the-art studio – the same one used to broadcast Monday Night Football. MailSport columnist Biggar, the starting Lions Test No 10 on the 2021 tour of South Africa, said: 'A Lions tour is the pinnacle of any player's career, so to now be part of it with Sky Sports is incredibly exciting. 'Being on the ground, feeling the atmosphere, and sharing that passion with fans, combined with Sky's top-tier analysis, lets us bring the game to life in a way that's insightful, but still accessible for everyone watching at home.' Sky's coverage of the tour kicks off with an historic first, the Lions' inaugural match in Ireland against Argentina on June 20, and runs until August 2, when the Lions face Australia in the third and final Test match in Sydney. After what is set to be a tough challenge against Argentina, Andy Farrell's team will play nine matches in Australia, with three against the Wallabies. Legendary commentator Miles Harrison will call each of the matches. Alex Payne returns to front the coverage for Sky with Eleanor Roper serving as roving reporter. Ahead of the Argentina clash, the Lions have held their first camp in Portugal this week, using the luxurious Campus training facility at Quinta do Lago. Jonathan Licht, managing director of Sky Sports, added: 'The Lions is one of the marquee events of the sporting calendar and for this tour we're raising the bar with an exceptional on-screen team. 'From legendary Lions to recently retired greats, we've assembled a line-up of world-class talent who will bring fans closer to the action, sharing unique insights, expert analysis and unforgettable moments. We can't wait for the action to begin.'
