Jelena Dokic reveals that being closely booed by the Australian Open crowd simply hours after switching to representing Yugoslavia was "the worst second" of her complete profession.
After transferring to Australia on the age of 11, Dokic began her profession as an Australian participant and immediately drew constructive consideration to herself after reaching the 2000 Wimbledon semifinal as a 17-year-old teenager.
Simply because the hype surrounding Dokic was rising in Australia, she introduced the information that left your entire tennis world baffled – simply earlier than her 2001 Australian Open first-round match versus Kim Clijsters, she introduced that she had determined to symbolize Yugoslavia. For sure, the Australian public wasn't impressed in any respect and she or he was greeted by very loud boos all through her three-set defeat to Lindsay Davenport at Melbourne Park.
Later, she revealed that she didn't make that call, however that her bodily and verbally father Damir compelled her into making that transfer.
Dokic: 15,000 individuals booing me on the Australian Open… I simply wished to vanish
“That was the worst second of my life. When he modified allegiances from Australia to play for Yugoslavia 24 hours earlier than my first spherical of the Australian Open, in opposition to the world No. 1, Lindsay Davenport, and to get the booing of 15,000 individuals… I simply wished to vanish," the previous world No. 4 mentioned on ABC Information In-depth's Australian Story.
In 2005, Dokic disappeared for a time frame. Then, she returned to Australia – opened up concerning the abuse she endured from her father – and introduced that she was returning to representing Australia.
"I’m an Australian, I really feel like an Australian and I need to play for Australia once more," the 2000 Wimbledon semifinalist mentioned on the time.
Through the years, Dokic has spoken quite a few occasions and detailed the abuse she went by way of. In Might, her father Damir died on the age of 67. The previous Australian tennis star didn't attend the funeral.
