All sports stars know that dealing with highs and lows comes with the territory, as part of the job. But few have been through such extremes as Jelena Dokic, who spent her whole career, and much of her life, navigating painful moments. Abused, physically and psychologically, by her father, Dokic suffered from depression, an eating disorder and, at the very lowest moments, contemplated suicide.
But Dokic never gave up, showing rare resilience, built from her experience growing up in a war-torn country and being a refugee, twice. (Dokic was born in Croatia – part of the former Yugoslavia – and moved to Serbia, before settling in Australia). Somehow, even in the worst moments off the court, she was able to produce incredible moments on it.
In 1999, aged 16, she crushed Martina Hingis, the defending champion, in the first round at Wimbledon. The following year she reached the semi-finals at the same grand slam and narrowly missed out on a medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
This May marks 25 years since the biggest title of Dokic’s career, her victory in the Italian Open in Rome. Still only 18, she beat Amelie Mauresmo in the final and seemed on her way to the very top. She won two more titles that year, three more the following season, and in August 2002 she was ranked No 4. Eventually, the well-documented behaviour of her father, Damir, who died last year, brought her down, but remarkably, a quarter of a century on, she retains her love for tennis.
“It’s a tough sport, travelling 10 months a year,” Dokic says, sitting inside the media centre during the Australian Open earlier this year. “You start playing at four, five, six years of age. But just like any sport, those are the hours you put in if you love something that you do.
“I love my role now completely, doing what I do in talking tennis, it’s a big passion of mine. I will always love tennis and always have. Even in my worst moments, absolutely. And if anyone ever asked me, ‘what about my kid playing professionally, or even to play for fun’, I always say ‘do it’. It’s a great sport.”
Looking back on her Rome triumph, Dokic is proud that she was able to show her tennis ability despite everything that was happening to her, abuse she detailed openly and heartbreakingly in two books and most recently in a documentary, Unbreakable, released in 2024. Dokic doesn’t blame anyone for her plight; instead, she says she was fortunate, a victim who survived and emerged stronger, able to help others.
“I’m extremely lucky to be here,” she says. “Many are not, and many you will never hear about … have never maybe been able to fulfil their dream and their talent. If you look at all the champions, grand slam champions, No 1s in the world in any sport, they have had incredible [family] support. You can’t go without that, and you can’t even get close to the top if you don’t have that.
“I wanted to show parents, to show coaches, and to show the world in general, there was this narrative for a very long time that if you’re really, really tough on your kid, and actually if you abuse them, then that creates champions. But it is such a wrong narrative.”
After a lifetime of struggle, Dokic has found her calling. A respected on-court tennis interviewer and pundit for Australian TV, she is also a campaigner for victims of domestic abuse. Content in her own skin, she has never been happier.
“I found so much strength in actually speaking up, in being an advocate, in not being ashamed of your life and what you go through,” she says. “I think owning your story and being authentic about it, yeah, it’s brought happiness to me. It’s actually saved my life.
“I say the day that my book came out was the best day of my life by far, and that’s a big statement, because yes, I’ve had the lows, but I’ve also had incredible highs in my life, personally and professionally. But nothing will ever compare to that, the freedom that comes with being open about your story, about who you are, about what you’ve gone through. It’s life-saving.”
Dokic, 43, has a new partner and though they don’t plan to start a family, children could yet be in her future.
“I still am open to adoption in a couple of years, potentially, absolutely,” she says. “It’s always been kind of on my mind. I think I can give so much love to a kid that will potentially go through a tough time, be an orphan, maybe not have that love and support. I’ve always felt like I can give a lot of that, and I love kids, so I’m still open to that idea, absolutely.”
