Former Australian tennis champion Jelena Dokic says she would suffer “100 years of abuse” from her father if it meant she could undo his decision to turn her back on playing for Australia.
The 41-year-old former world number 4 was born in what was then Yugoslavia and her family moved to Australia when she was 11.
Her tennis career peaked when she reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 1999 and the semifinals in 2000, followed by the quarterfinals of the 2002 French Open.
Dokic represented Australia early in his career, but announced in 2001 that he would turn his back on his new home and represent Yugoslavia instead.
He says his father was behind the controversial decision and wishes it had never happened.
“I would take 100 years of abuse if I could recover from not playing for Australia for a few years,” he told Carrie and Tommy Radio Show.
‘He took something from me that I loved so much.
‘He took that away from me at that moment. He’s sitting in a hotel room watching this while 15,000 people boo me. I just wanted to fall to the ground and disappear and never come back.
Jelena Dokic says she would suffer ‘100 years of abuse’ from her father (pictured with mother Ljiljana) to undo her decision to play for Yugoslavia instead of Australia
Dokic, who turned his back on Australia in 2001, blamed his father for his lost dream of playing for his country.
“I would accept any abuse, anything in this world, not even go through it personally, but it wasn’t necessary for my people, the Australians and my fans and everyone who always cheered me on, it wasn’t necessary for 10 or 15 years until my book came out so they would know the truth and how much I really love Australia.’
As the tell-all feature film Unbreakable: The Jelena Dokic Story hits theaters this month, Jelena also admitted that while she doesn’t forgive her father, she doesn’t “hate” him.
‘I don’t blame anyone. I have no resentment towards anyone. I definitely don’t hate anyone, I never would,” Jelena told the Daily Telegraph.
‘I’m not bitter about it.
‘Even for my father, which surprises people. But I don’t hate it. I don’t necessarily forgive him, but I don’t hate him.
In a trailer for Unbreakable, Jelena recalls how she felt pressured to win when her father Damir regularly inflicted beatings on her.
‘I’m 16 years old here. “I was playing number 1, Martina Hingis, and I knew that if I lost the consequences would be catastrophic,” she says in the trailer while watching footage of herself playing.
The teenage prodigy’s tennis career peaked when she reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 1999 and the semi-finals in 2000, followed by the 2002 French Open quarter-finals.
Dokic has claimed that her father physically and emotionally abused her from the age of six.
‘One day after losing I knew what was going to happen… I was starting to feel really broken inside.
‘There wasn’t an inch of skin that wasn’t bruised. I’m 17 years old and through his actions, (I) became the most hated person.’
Her autobiography of the same name was published in 2017 and Jelena details the harrowing physical and emotional abuse she suffered at the hands of her father Damir during her playing career.
Jelena told the Telegraph that she feels an “incredible freedom” having told her story in the book and now in the feature film.
‘It gave me a voice. It gave me the power to take my life back. “I’ve never been happier,” he said.
‘I was not silenced for the first time in my life. And with that comes incredible freedom.’
During her appearance on Jess Rowe’s Big Talk Show in May, Jelena opened up about her book and reiterated that she doesn’t hate her abusive father.
“After reading your story, I hate your dad,” Jess told Jelena, expressing surprise that the former athlete doesn’t share the same feelings.
Dokic says he does not blame his father Demir for the abuse he suffered when he was young
‘No. I don’t want to come from that place. I don’t hate anyone. Hate is a very strong word, but I can understand you and people using it,” Jelena responded.
‘For some reason the universe gave me that as my childhood and my life and I have to accept the circumstances… I don’t have to hate it, but I don’t forgive it.’
Despite suffering years of abuse, Jelena revealed earlier this year why she tried to reconcile with her father the last time they made contact a decade ago.
‘The last time I had contact with him was about 10 years ago. And yes, I even tried to reconcile with him once or twice,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald in January.
“I think no matter what happens, you have hope that you can save a relationship as far as family is concerned.”