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No tears over Dokic Troublesome family not worth the grief
Updated: Thursday January 18, 2001 3:19 PM
She speaks with a strong western Sydney accent, has played on countless Fed Cup and Hopman Cup teams and in September she walked behind the Australian flag as an Olympian at the 2000 Sydney Games. But make no mistake: Jelena Dokic is now a Yugoslavian. The 17-year-old's bewildering decision to represent the country of her birth rather than her adopted nation defies logic. But, the decision-maker in the Dokic family, her father Damir, has never acted in a logical or rational way. Come to think of it, he's rarely done anything in his daughter's best interests.
The reports of Damir's unstable behavior are getting more outrageous by the day. The highbrow Sydney Morning Herald reports that Damir demanded sexual favors from a female television reporter in exchange for a recent interview. In another incident, the same television station alleged that he would grant an on-camera interview if the reporter agreed to appear "naked". Apparently, Damir is trying to leave a lasting impression on a country that he has frequently described as "racist". The Dokics plan to live between Florida and Belgrade once they leave Australia. In many ways, it is disappointing for Australian tennis to see the back of Jelena Dokic. While men's tennis has prospered in recent years with the emergence of Patrick Rafter, Lleyton Hewitt and Mark Philippoussis , the women's game Down Under has struggled. Not since Wendy Turnbull in the 1980s has Australia had a prominent player on the WTA tour. Ever since the arrival off Jelena and her family in 1994, there's been tremendous excitement in the Aussie tennis fraternity. That's what makes the claims of Damir Dokic that the Australian Open draw was rigged to make things harder for Jelena so ridiculous (she lost to second-seed Lindsay Davenport in the first round). If anything, Australian officials have gone the extra mile to support rather than hinder Dokic. They've invested thousands of dollars in Jelena, through coaching and junior programs. But their tolerance of Damir's intolerable behavior to this point was an even greater reflection of their commitment. How good is Jelena? In my opinion, she doesn't have the imposing physical presence or "weapons" to be a world number one. However, I can see her winning a grand slam or two and being a regular top 10 player (perhaps around the same level as Mary Pierce). With Dokic's departure, world number-52 Nicole Pratt is the highest ranked Australian on the WTA tour. Surprisingly, even after all the sour words by Jelena and her father about the nation, her former Australian teammates haven't given up hope that she'll have a change of heart. Sydney's Evie Dominikovic , who knocked out highly-rated Swiss player Patty Schnyder from the Australian Open, believes Dokic will soon return to her adopted nation. "I am sure Jelena will be back," the 20-year-old told the Australian media. In reality, Jelena's return is a long shot. But it is almost certainly just a matter of time before she realizes that Dad Dokic is not a positive influence on her career. At least the next time Damir throws a plate of salmon or is arrested for drunken behavior, Australian sports fans won't have to feel ashamed. Australian-born Jason Dasey is an anchor for World Sport, an international sports highlights and news program shown on CNN-SI and CNN International.
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