“I was silenced”: Jelena Dokic opens up on her difficult relationship with her father
Jelena Dokic has opened up about her difficult relationship with her father, and why she attempted to reconcile with him over ten years ago.
The former tennis champion shared the details of the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father, documenting that he inflicted regular beatings in her new book Unbreakable.
The 40-year-old said her victories on the court made no difference to her father’s violence, writing, “Even if I won, I would still at times be beaten and be abused. I had some very difficult moments where I was beaten and kicked and punched to the point of being unconscious.”
Throughout her tennis career, her father Damir was her coach, and accepted nothing less than perfection from his daughter.
“I was silenced for my whole life. From the very first day that I started playing tennis, the No. 1 rule was ‘Never tell anyone anything, or there will be massive, massive consequences’,” she said of his dominating personality.
Now, Dokic has candidly shared the details of the last time she saw her father, who left her mentally scarred.
“I last had contact with him about 10 years ago. And yeah, I even tried to reconcile with him once or twice,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“I think no matter what happens, you kind of hope that maybe you can kind of salvage a relationship when it comes to family.”
“Those dynamics are always very difficult. But it's very hard when someone doesn't have any remorse or can't say sorry. In fact, what he says is that he would do it all again. So, for me, that is very, very hard.”
“I had to make a cut and go, ‘I don't need a toxic person or a toxic relationship in my life’.”
Thankfully, the star player turned tennis commentator is in a much better place with her brother and mother.
“I have a great relationship with my brother, which I'm really glad about because my father used my brother and weaponised our relationship - not allowing me to talk with him for about seven years, because he was so much younger than me,” she said.
“We pretty much talk every day, and with my mum, as well. I've had some tough conversations with her because she was on my father's side - but we're in a good place today.”
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