“One of the pillars of Australian Women’s Tennis is Jelena Dokic. At just 11 years old, she arrived in Australia as a refugee and quickly rose to become a fierce force in tennis. Her brilliance and determination lit up the court. The 42-year-old is enjoying her run as a commentator. But her playing days were not so fruitful all the time. 

In a recent interview with ‘Australian Story’ on ABC News, Jelena Dokic revisited the moment she still calls the hardest of her entire career. “That was the worst moment of my life,” she admitted, recalling the emotional blow that blindsided her before one of the crucial matches. She added, “When he changed allegiances from Australia to play for Yugoslavia 24 hours before my first round of the Australian Open, against the world number one, Lindsay Davenport, and to get the booing of 15,000 people… I just wanted to disappear.” 

By 2001, her ascent was overshadowed by the behavior of her father, Damir Dokic. His decision to remove her from the Australian Tennis Federation against her will, and have her change her nationality to represent Yugoslavia instead, backfired for Jelena Dokic in more ways than one.

These hard memories date back to the earliest stages of her rise. In 1999, the Aussie ace electrified the tennis world when, ranked No. 129, she stunned Wimbledon by dismantling then top seed Martina Hingis. 

The match against Lindsay Davenport symbolised that turmoil as walking into the iconic Rod Laver Arena in Australia under a flag chosen for her, not by her.

Today, as the Aussie reflects on her darkest moment in her life, she also acknowledges a deeper tragedy: how the amount of pressures, control, and violence of her past life had stolen the childhood she never truly had.

Jelena Dokic refused to attend her father’s funeral

Dokic previously explained that the pain she carried had little to do with the matches themselves and everything to do with losing something fundamental. In her 2017 memoir, ‘Unbreakable,’ which was also made into a documentary film, Jelena Dokic speaks in detail about her relationship with her father.

On May 16th, Damir Dokic passed away. While several attended the funeral, his daughter refused to make an appearance. The Australian Tennis star, during her ‘My Australian Story’ interview, said that she refused to attend the funeral as she believes her father never loved her. The 42-year-old also tried to reconcile with her father, but things did not work out.

“I tried to reconcile with my father two or three times. It wasn’t possible. It’s hard on someone not even a little bit sorry or has any remorse,” Jelena Dokic said.

Despite her past tragedies, Dokic has built a strong career post-retirement. She is one of the commentators, actively voicing her thoughts at Grand Slams like the French Open.