Jelena Dokic Turns Down Tennis Australia’s Offer of Help
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Jul 24, 2007 | Print |
All was quiet on the Australian front for a few months earlier this season for former top ten star Jelena Dokic, but now Dokic is back in the press for turning down Tennis Australia’s offer for assistance and coaching.
The Serbian born star who has played under the Yugoslavian, Serbian and Montenegrin, and Australian flags, returned Down Under in 2006 with hopes of turning her career around. Only weeks later, however, instead of having her name in the press for wins, she saw herself plastered on tabloid pages after Damir Dokic claimed his daughter had been kidnapped by a former coach.
After a few days of silence - with the rumor mill spinning faster by the day - Jelena surfaced to inform everyone that she had not talked to her father in years, and she certainly had not been kidnapped.
“This is not the first time he has made threats publicly to my well-being so I am not going to allow this latest episode to disrupt my future happiness,” Dokic said. “I wish to distance myself totally from his reported views.”
For all her hopes of turning her career (and life) around, Dokic has only managed to compete at one Challenger circuit event in 2007, a $10,000 clay event in Rome where she lost in the first round. According to Australia’s Herald Sun, she has been suffering from a wrist injury.
Tennis Australia has gone beyond the call of duty to help aid their former Fed Cup star, but at this point, Dokic wants to be the one calling the shots - and holding the checkbook.
Instead of issuing a carte blanche to the twenty-four year old who has had her share of financial woes, TA was willing to help fund and support her comeback, as long as she trained with the AIS Pro-Tour program in Surbiton.
Sitting at No. 9999 on the rankings hardly puts a person in a bargaining position, but Jelena Dokic turned down Tennis Australia’s offer and insists that she wants to attempt a comeback alone.
Craig Tiley, the director of Tennis Australia’s Player Development and the Australian Open, said in today’s edition of the Herald Sun that they were willing to help Dokic, but not without certain provisions.
“Jelena has not taken up the offer and she’s doing her own thing,” said Tiley. “We’ve told her ‘Small steps first’ and that we’re willing to help within certain parameters. For the time being, Jelena wants to do it on her own. We set the parameters on these things and we’re not a bank. We’ll fund and we’ll support but we’ll do that under specific parameters.”
A small step first is advice Jelena Dokic needs to heed. After all, with 9,999 spots separating herself and the best tennis player in the world, she must be willing to do whatever it takes to get back in the game.
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Nexty | Aug 1, 2007 | Reply
This girl looks dead and buried!
Lachlan | Sep 20, 2007 | Reply
He father ruined her life, she was Australias best in these times and now she cant get passed round 1, hopefully in 2008 she will return with a bang.