Former Australian tennis champion Jelena Dokic opens up about the domestic abuse she suffered as a young tennis player in a new documentary.
In a trailer for Unbreakable, out next month, Dokic recalls how she felt pressured to win when her father Damir regularly inflicted beatings on her.
Jelena was born in Yugoslavia and her family moved to Australia when she was 11 years old.
Her tennis career peaked when she reached the Wimbeldon quarter-finals in 1999 and the semi-finals in 2000, followed by the 2002 French Open quarter-finals.
‘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 while watching images of herself playing.
‘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.’
Lindsay Davenport, a three-time Grand Slam tennis champion, also appears in the documentary and remembers watching Jelena suffer.
“Some other players had noticed bruising,” Davenport says.
Former Australian tennis champion Jelena Dokic has spoken out about the domestic abuse she suffered as a young tennis player in the new documentary Unbreakable.
Adds American doubles legend Pam Shriver: “When you look back and see what he accomplished, wow!”
Australian journalist Richard Hinds also says: ‘From very early on there were rumors about what was happening. Questions were asked, but they hit a brick wall.’
Meanwhile, prominent tennis journalist Christopher Clarey regrets not investigating the rumors further.
‘Could I have dug deeper to find out what was really going on? “I think a lot of us could have done it,” he says.
Dokic has long been open about her struggles with depression, social media abuse, body shaming, and the family violence she suffered throughout her career.
In April, she posted images of herself at 17 with bruised legs on Instagram, saying she was “sad and angry” at the countless number of women who suffer abuse.
“Swollen, bruised and bleeding shins from being hit and kicked all night with sharp shoes directly into my shins from losing a match,” she posted.
‘These pictures were taken over two weeks later and I still had a lot of bruising. I was 17 years old.
In a trailer for Unbreakable, out next month, Dokic recalls how she felt pressured to win when her father Damir regularly inflicted beatings on her.
‘To this day I still have tender, bumpy shins from this beating.
‘For every wound there is a scar and these are mine. I have survived, but not all women and girls have or will.
“And that is the sad reality.”
She added that she wanted to speak on behalf of patients who do not have the same platform as her.
“Today I was speaking at an event about domestic and family violence and I was sad,” she continued.
‘Sad and angry for the tens of millions of women in the world who I know are going through much worse things than me right now.
‘In Australia alone, 1 woman a week dies from domestic violence. 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence throughout their lives.
‘The figures are even worse around the world.
‘I’m 16 years old here. “I was playing against number 1 Martina Hingis and I knew that if I lost the consequences would be catastrophic,” she said while watching footage of herself during a match.
‘The more we don’t talk about it, the further we move away from the topic and the more we abandon women and girls.
‘For those reading this who may be experiencing abuse or domestic violence, please know that I understand you.
‘I know how scared and scared you are. Know that you have incredible strength and courage. Nothing is your fault.
‘For those who can, please be there for those who need help and support. Don’t push them away and don’t abandon them.
‘Coming from someone who has been there, abandoned and scared to death, please don’t turn your back on him. Women and girls need you and your help.’
‘There wasn’t an inch of skin that wasn’t bruised. I’m 17 years old and because of his actions I became the most hated person,’ he says.