SUMMARY
- Jelena Dokic has been subjected to body-shaming once again at the Australian Open.
- She has previously spoken about her struggles with weight.
Jelena Dokic may have retired from tennis, but she is still serving aces at the Australian Open. Dokic’s on-court interviews are a delight to watch, but fans have raised questions about her health, particularly her weight gain. Every woman goes through physical changes as they age, and Dokic is no different. However, her struggles are rooted in her past, and Jelena has been quite open about her battles.
Dokic is a former world number four and a 2000 Wimbledon semifinalist. She even made it to the last eight at the Australian Open and the French Open. Jelena has been a familiar face within the fraternity, but of late she has been subjected to a lot of online abuse.
Back in 2020, Dokic opened up about her struggles with her weight. She addressed the negative attention she had been receiving and kindly asked to be left alone. Dokic added that such comments are always directed at women, and men never have to face such scrutiny.
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“I really don’t know why people have the need to comment on someone’s physical appearance, especially when it comes to women. You would never talk like that about a man, it’s always about women and their appearance,” she said.
Jelena enjoyed a wonderful career. She was the first qualifier in the Open Era to defeat two former Grand Slam champions at the same major tournament. Dokic achieved this incredible feat at Wimbledon in 1999. Ukrainian star Dayana Yastremska became the second-ever player to reach this milestone at the Australian Open this year.
Jelena Dokic endured a lot of emotional and physical abuse off the court, a fact that went unaddressed for years. However, Dokic now uses her voice for good.
Jelena Dokic opens up about the violence she endured
Dokic was born in a war-torn Yugoslavia before moving to Australia. Her story was one of glory, as she burst onto the tennis scene at 15 years of age and left her mark. Unfortunately, Jelena’s story also has a disturbing history.
She has previously spoken about suffering abuse at the hands of her father. There is more to the story, and Jelena recently spoke up about it. Her father, Damir Dokic, used to beat her unconscious and hurl abuse at her. Moreover, he forbade her from ever speaking about it.
“My father always said to me ‘Don’t dare say anything, stay silent or I will kill you.’ Silence is golden. I think with society and sport, it’s often about being a perfect human being but we forget that life is not perfect. I want to change the perception that vulnerability is a weakness – you have no idea how much strength it takes to be vulnerable,” she said (via The Age).
Jelena Dokic is an inspirational figure for women around the world. She uses her voice and platform to shed light on important issues that women still face.