'It got worse and worse': Jelena Dokic reveals horrific abuse by father
Former tennis star Jelena Dokic has revealed a devastating history of physical and emotional abuse she has suffered at the hands of her own father.
With the world at her feet, Dokic was ranked world no.4 at just 19, but two years later she was back in Serbia and her career was all but over.
Dokic, 34, said the whippings and beatings began from the age six.
She said the abuse started when she stepped on the court. She claims she was punched, whipped and even spat on as punishment by her father Damir.
"I was never hit or abused by my father until that very first day when I started playing tennis,” she said.
"It got worse and worse and it spiralled out of control when we came to Australia when I was 11.
"In the end he kind of ruined my career and in a way really shorted it.”
She said it was almost too much to deal with – going from “poverty, to racism, to bullying”.
“And everything that I faced in Australia and also after I left home,” the 34-year-old said.
“Dealing with depression and almost committing suicide".
Dokic said she doesn’t have much of a relationship with her father now but she has reached out to him.
“I've tried to reconcile with him over the years, it’s a difficult process and situation, he's a difficult person,” she said.
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Tennis Australia’s Tood Woodbridge said a lot of people realised due to Damir Dokic’s behaviour that things “were really tough" for Jelena.
“I don’t think until we’ve seen what she’s talked about the extreme depths of those things that were happening to her,” Woodbridge said.
"No one knows what she could have achieved had she had that free run.”
Dokic will detail her full story in a live interview on Sunrise on Monday from 6am.
If you or someone you know is having trouble coping, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
