'End of a chapter': Jelena Dokic is seen for the first time since announcing the death of her abusive father Damir Dokic as she jets into Brisbane

Sky News AU

26-05-2025

Jelena Dokic has been seen in public for the first time since announcing the death of her estranged father, Damir Dokic, aged 67.
The 42-year-old former tennis champion looked subdued as she arrived at Brisbane Airport on Friday, just two days after revealing the news of her father's passing.
She kept her outfit casual, wearing a beige jacket over a fluffy blue sweater, navy trousers and Adidas sneakers.
Her hair was tied up in a top knot, and she appeared fresh-faced with no makeup.
Dokic, who now works as a sports commentator for Channel Nine, broke the news on Wednesday with a poignant Instagram post, which included a childhood photo of herself with her father and former coach.
"My father passed away in the late hours on 16.05.2025," she wrote.
"As you know my relationship with my father has been difficult and painful with a lot of history.
"Despite everything and no matter how hard, difficult and in the last 10 years even non existent our relationship and communication was, it is never easy losing a parent and a father even one you are estranged from.
"The loss of an estranged parent comes with a difficult and complicated grief."
Dokic expressed that, despite the pain, she wanted to focus on a fond memory with her father.
The image she posted shows Jelena as a toddler, with Damir wrapping his arms around her and holding her hand.
"And as always and especially important to who I am as a person and what I want to stand for which is respect, grace, kindness, dignity and empathy, I will and want to be that person in this situation too," she continued.
She concluded by asking for privacy as she and her family grieve.
"Thank you to so many of you for checking in on me over the last few days and for being here for me while I navigate this difficult and complicated situation," she wrote.
"And my final words. RIP."
Born in 1983 in the former Yugoslavia, Dokic later resettled in Serbia before arriving in Australia as a refugee with her parents and younger brother in 1994.
Her rise in tennis was meteoric, reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon at just 16 and achieving a career-high world ranking of No. 4 in 2002.
Behind the scenes, however, she endured years of abuse at the hands of her father, who was also her coach.
Their relationship ultimately broke down, with Dokic cutting ties and continuing her career without him.
In 2023, she confirmed that she had been estranged from Damir for more than a decade and that he had never apologised for the abuse, which she has described as verbal, emotional and physical.
Earlier this month, SkyNews.com.au obtained exclusive footage of Dokic at Melbourne Airport looking affectionate with a mystery man- just weeks after she publicly shared her desire to start a family.
Dokic split from her long-time partner Tin Bukic in late 2022 after nearly 20 years together.
Speaking recently on the Mental As Anyone podcast, she opened up about how the breakup disrupted her plans to become a mother.
"I was in a relationship for almost 19 years from the age of 20 and right when we split up, we were about to start trying for a family," she said.
"I actually think I would be a good mum to be honest, I love kids."