"I turned 6 and the abuse started... I was brutally beaten at 9" - Jelena Dokic gets emotional opening up about her late father & forgiving him

Australian-Yugoslav player Jelena Dokic recently shared her thoughts on the physical and mental abuse she suffered from her late former coach and father, Damir Dokic. The ex-player, analyst, and broadcaster retired from professional tennis in 2014.

The former World No. 4 clinched six WTA singles titles and four doubles titles throughout her notable career. At 16, she had defeated Swiss icon Martina Hingis in the 1999 Wimbledon Championships first round, subsequently delivering one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport.

Through her recent interview with Australian Story's Leigh Sales, Jelena Dokic expressed her thoughts on the years of multi-faceted abuse she suffered from her father and coach, Damir Dokic, who passed away in May 2025 from cancer.

"I've come to terms actually to accept that he doesn't love me and that he never did and I genuinely believe that. You can't do that to your child if you love them. After I turned six is when I started playing tennis and the abuse started... I was already brutally beaten at the age of nine or ten," she added via her recent Instagram post. "I was kicked and punched in the head so hard it left me unconscious. It's so drilled in you that you are just not worthy of anything. I tried to reconcile with my father two or three times. It wasn't possible. It's hard when someone's not even a little bit sorry or has any remorse and in fact, he said he would do it all again," she added.

She continued:

"We were estranged for 10 years. It's the end. I don't necessarily forgive him or have to forgive him but here's the big thing: I do not hate him."

Jelena Dokic's father also served a prison sentence of 15 months, which was later reduced to 12 months after appeals, for threatening Clare Birgin, the Australian ambassador to Serbia, with a hand grenade in June 2009.

He made threats against her due to receiving unfavorable press reports from Australia, in which Dokic had accused him of abusing her. He was also charged with illegal possession of weapons, as a large number of arms were uncovered in his home.

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Jelena Dokic narrated her challenging life story through her books

Jelena Dokic at the 2025 TV WEEK Logie Awards - Arrivals - Source: Getty

Jelena Dokic released her autobiography, 'Unbreakable', on November 13, 2017, co-written by Jess Halloran, a sports journalist.

Through the book, Dokic revealed the difficulties she faced in her life and career, along with the physical abuse. In 2023, she released another book co-written with Halloran, 'Fearless: Finding the power to thrive,' on her survival through trauma, financial woes, and family violence.

In November 2024, a documentary film based on her life, 'Unbreakable: The Jelena Dokic Story', was released. It was directed by Halloran and Ivan O'Mahoney and won the Logie Award.

Edited by Riddhiman Sarkar