Jelena Dokic ‘would have endured 100 years of abuse from her father’ to make one big career change | Tennis

Jelena Dokic has said she would endure “100 years of abuse” at the hands of her father if it meant she could undo one important decision.

The retired tennis star has stopped representing Australia and switched allegiances on the advice of her father and coach Damir Dokic.

Dokic was born in what was then Yugoslavia but moved inland when she was 11 years old.

The former world number four burst onto the scene as a teenager. In 1999, she helped Australia win their first Hopman Cup title and then upset world number one Martina Hingis in the first round of the Hopman Cup. Wimbledon as a qualifier.

Twelve months later, Dokic reached the semi-finals of the All England Club. She soon stopped playing for Australia and began representing Yugoslavia starting the 2001 season.

It was a controversial move: she was booed when she lost her first round match at the Australian Open that year. Dokic’s father was behind the decision to change her allegiances, and she regrets it to this day.

“I would take 100 years of abuse if I could go back to not playing for Australia for a few years,” she said on the Carrie and Tommy show.

“He took away from me what I loved so much. At that moment he took it from me.

“He’s sitting in a hotel room watching it while 15,000 people are booing me. I just wanted to sink into the ground, disappear and never come back.”

Dokic began representing Australia again in 2005. The six-time titleholder later accused her father of mental and physical abuse in her 2017 autobiography, Unbreakable.

She added: “I will take any insult, anything in this world, not to even just get through it personally, but for it not to take my people, the Australians, my fans and everyone who has always supported me, so it doesn’t take effort. ” It will take 10 or 15 years until my book comes out for them to know the truth and how much I really love Australia.”

Since retiring from professional tennis ten years ago, Dokic has become a successful television presenter and commentator.

The 41-year-old also spoke about what she had to endure from her father and former coach. She’s set to tell her story in a new documentary, also called Unbreakable, featuring never-before-seen footage.