Jelena Dokić shared another trauma from the beginning of her career in order to draw attention to violence in the family and against women.
The famous tennis player Jelena Dokić does not hide that she was a victim of domestic violence and wants to use her example to warn other young and ambitious athletes who are “forced” by their parents, so in her book “Unbreakable” she revealed her struggles with an abusive father. Now she posted on Instagram again and recalled an event that took place more than 20 years ago, when she was beaten for losing one tournament, and already had to prepare for another.
Jelena published a photo from the tournament that was played in 2000, in which, if you look closely, you can see that her knees are swollen, but despite everything, she had to go out on the field because her father Damir was pressuring her.
“Swollen, bloody and bruised. That’s how my shins were after being kicked with sharp shoes all night because I lost the match. These photos were taken two weeks after that and I was still horribly bruised. I was only 17. Until today I feel pain in my shins from that beating. For every wound there is a scar and those are my scars. I survived, but not every woman or girl survives. Nor will they. It’s a painful reality.”wrote Jelena Dokić on her Instagram and explained that she wrote it because she spoke at an event dedicated to combating domestic violence and felt sad and angry.
“Let’s do more for future generations. For our daughters, sisters and all girls and women around the world, to make this a better and safer place for them to be happy, healthy and free from violence. I will never stop fighting and speaking out about this issue especially for those who cannot and do not have a voice”added the former tennis player.