Jelena Dokić was considered one of the greatest talents in professional tennis at the age of 16. The price she paid for it was high. In her documentary, she reveals shocking details of the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father.
In a moving interview, former tennis star Jelena Dokić has revealed shocking details of how she was abused by her own father as a child and teenager. “One day, after I’d lost, I knew what was going to happen. I felt broken inside. There wasn’t an inch of skin that wasn’t covered in bruising,” Dokić said in her documentary film ‘Unbreakable’ in a shaky voice. ‘He beat me, kicked me and verbally humiliated me,’ the 41-year-old said about her father’s harrowing treatment of her.
Among other things, he also whipped her with a belt and spat on her, Dokić reported. This physical and psychological abuse shaped her tennis career. Despite her talent, she suffered enormously from the violence she had to endure behind closed doors.
“It was a nightmare,” she emphasized, adding that her successes on the court could not save her from the suffering. At Wimbledon, she once slept in the locker room because her father had forbidden her to come to the hotel after she lost her semi-final.
Suicide attempt two years ago
At just 16 years old, the Serbian-born Australian had reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon and was ranked number four in the world in 2002. In total, she celebrated six tournament victories and earned over $4.4 million in prizes. However, the personal price she had to pay was high.
She was abused by her father since she was six years old, she reported, physically for 15 years and verbally for 20 years. “I was depressed for ten years, and that ultimately led to my suicide attempt,” she said about the incident in 2022.
Despite these traumatic experiences, Dokić has started speaking publicly about them to raise awareness of abuse and to encourage other victims. She hopes that her story will help break the silence and encourage victims to seek help.
“It’s important not to remain silent,” Dokić said. Dokić has spoken frequently in the past about the years of abuse she suffered at the hands of her father, Damir. However, she only revealed the terrible details for the first time in the documentary.
