Jelena Dokic documentary: Tennis ace reveals horrific abuse by her father – ‘There wasn’t an inch of skin not bruised’
FORMER tennis star Jelena Dokic has opened up about the horrific domestic violence she suffered at the hands of her father.
Dokic, 41, recounted her experiences for a new documentary, entitled “Unbreakable”.
The film, which carries the same name as Dokic’s 2017 autobiography, is set to be released in Australian cinemas on November 7 – with a worldwide release expected to follow.
Dokic reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2000, and peaked at world No4 two years later.
She burst onto the scene as a prodigiously talented teenager, after her family had emigrated to Australia from Yugoslavia when she was 11.
In a new trailer for her upcoming film, Dokic makes a chilling revelation.
While watching footage of herself playing, she says: “I’m 16-years-old here.
“I was playing the number 1 Martina Hingis and I knew if I lost the consequences were catastrophic.
“One day after I lost I knew what was going to happen… I was starting to feel really broken inside.
“There was not an inch of skin that wasn’t bruised. I’m 17 and through his actions, [I] became the most hated person.”
Old footage shows Dokic being booed during a match with Lindsay Davenport, with fans unaware of the torment that she was going through off the court.
Former Wimbledon champion Davenport says: “Some other players had noticed bruising.”
And prominent commentator and former doubles world No1 Pam Shriver adds: “When you look back and see what she did accomplish, wow.”
In the trailer, a young Dokic can be seen saying: “The media and Tennis Australia assaulted my family.”
Her interviews from the time were then claimed to look like “hostage videos”.
Dokic, now 41, retired from tennis in 2014.
She has since become a prominent voice within the sport in her country, and can be found conducting on-court interviews at the Australian Open.
HOW YOU CAN GET HELP:
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
Speaking to The Independent last December, Dokic revealed that she hadn’t spoken to her father Damir in a decade.
She said: “I sleep well at night. I don’t speak to him, 10 years ago was the last time.
“I tried to reconcile but it’s hard when he can’t even say sorry.
“I hoped he would change, but it wasn’t possible and I think at some stage, even if it’s family, you have to let it go and say, ‘That’s too toxic for me.’
“That’s what I did – and the day I did that made me very happy. My father always said to me ‘Don’t dare say anything, stay silent or I will kill you.’ Silence is golden.
“I think with society and sport, it’s often about being a perfect human being but we forget that life is not perfect.
“I want to change the perception that vulnerability is a weakness – you have no idea how much strength it takes to be vulnerable.
“It takes courage, especially with the world watching.”
In addition to her tennis punditry for Channel 9 in Australia, Dokic works to try to improve things for those who may be suffering like she did.
Last year she gave more than 150 motivational speeches, hoping that by sharing her story she can play a part in helping others.