Damir Dokic, Father of Jelena Dokic, Has Passed Away at 67
So, Damir Dokic — the father of former tennis star Jelena Dokic — has passed away. He was 67. Jelena shared the news online, and honestly, it was emotional. She opened up about their really complicated relationship, and you could tell she was going through a lot of mixed feelings. Losing a parent is never easy, even if things weren’t good between you.
Jelena Talks About Their Tough Relationship
To be real, Jelena and her dad hadn’t spoken in over 10 years. That says a lot right there. She’s talked before—especially in her book Unbreakable—about how tough her childhood was, especially with the emotional and physical abuse she says she went through because of him. It was painful stuff. And now, with him gone, she admitted it’s not as simple as feeling sad or not. It’s more complicated when the bond with a parent was broken like that. She didn’t sugarcoat it, but you could still sense a bit of peace in the way she said goodbye.
Where Jelena Is Now After Tennis
Most people remember Jelena for her big tennis career—she made it all the way to world No. 4 and even got to the Wimbledon semifinals. That was huge. But she retired in 2014, and since then, she’s been doing a lot of good things outside the sport. She’s become a respected tennis commentator, and more than that, she’s been really open about her struggles with mental health. In 2022, she even talked about trying to take her own life. That’s not easy to share, but she did, and now she’s using her experience to help others. It feels like she’s found a way to turn the pain into something that helps people.
Damir’s Troubled History in Tennis
Damir wasn’t just known as Jelena’s dad—he had a bit of a reputation in the tennis world, and not the good kind. A lot of people saw him as loud and unpredictable. He got banned by some tennis groups, and things got really serious when he was even jailed back in 2009 for threatening to bomb the Australian embassy. That kind of behavior affected Jelena deeply, both in her career and personal life. It’s hard to imagine going through something like that while also trying to compete on the world stage.
Jelena’s Final Words for Her Father
When Jelena posted her tribute, it wasn’t full of fake niceties. She was honest. She shared one of the few good memories from her early years—just one moment where things felt okay. And she talked about how important kindness and respect are, especially now. At the end, she just said goodbye in a quiet way and asked for privacy, which honestly feels fair. After everything, she still handled it with a lot of grace.
