Time to admit that you were wrong about Dokic

[Catters 070911]

I watched Jelena Dokic's interview on "The Project" and have read excerpts of her book.

I think it is time for the Australian tennis fans who booed her, made her "guilty by association", and turned on her for leaving Australia (when her father FORCED her to), to apologize and admit that they have NFI.

Many of you, at the time, sat on your judgmental high horses, and made judgements based on things you know nothing about, just so that you can feel better about yourself. It was disgusting how the poor girl was treated.

Some here might think because she is a celebrity and made a lot of money, then she deserved to have hard times, like getting beaten by her father. Then these same people will talk about how they have it worse, when their problems pale in significant comparison to a young girl getting beaten by her psycho father.

I remember reading in the H-S, when the story was Dokic leaving Australia. A bunch of Australian tennis greats (and Dawn Fraser, who has nothing to do with tennis, but can't help telling everyone what she thinks) all said that she should stay in Australia, and just buy a house and live here. However, Jelena was 16 at the time, and not really old enough to live on her own, especially in a country with a culture different to what she was used to. So these people all stated what she should do, but not one, NOT ONE, of them offered to, for example, invite her to live with them for a while, until she was old enough to live on her own. Everyone has an opinion, but many don't do anything to solve the situation. Maybe Dokic needed more help and understanding, rather than flippant suggestions from people who have done it better than her.

Also, I would not be surprised if it is a similar story with Nick Kyrgios- a player who was forced into tennis at a young age by a controlling parent. Kyrgios has said similar things. Yet he too gets vilified by the Australian media and fans.

Maybe you need to not be so eager to bag young Aussie tennis players, and give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe find out if they have a controlling parent (which is all too common in tennis, unfortunately) and not be so quick to judge their behaviour, or if they smile enough on court. I dare to suggest that your lives and family situations are a bit better than they had growing up.

Time for Australian tennis fans to apologize, and pull their heads in.

 

[BobbyMorri]

I watched Jelena Dokic's interview on "The Project" and have read excerpts of her book.

I think it is time for the Australian tennis fans who booed her, made her "guilty by association", and turned on her for leaving Australia (when her father FORCED her to), to apologize and admit that they have NFI.

Many of you, at the time, sat on your judgmental high horses, and made judgements based on things you know nothing about, just so that you can feel better about yourself. It was disgusting how the poor girl was treated.

Some here might think because she is a celebrity and made a lot of money, then she deserved to have hard times, like getting beaten by her father. Then these same people will talk about how they have it worse, when their problems pale in significant comparison to a young girl getting beaten by her psycho father.

I remember reading in the H-S, when the story was Dokic leaving Australia. A bunch of Australian tennis greats (and Dawn Fraser, who has nothing to do with tennis, but can't help telling everyone what she thinks) all said that she should stay in Australia, and just buy a house and live here. However, Jelena was 16 at the time, and not really old enough to live on her own, especially in a country with a culture different to what she was used to. So these people all stated what she should do, but not one, NOT ONE, of them offered to, for example, invite her to live with them for a while, until she was old enough to live on her own. Everyone has an opinion, but many don't do anything to solve the situation. Maybe Dokic needed more help and understanding, rather than flippant suggestions from people who have done it better than her.

Also, I would not be surprised if it is a similar story with Nick Kyrgios- a player who was forced into tennis at a young age by a controlling parent. Kyrgios has said similar things. Yet he too gets vilified by the Australian media and fans.

Maybe you need to not be so eager to bag young Aussie tennis players, and give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe find out if they have a controlling parent (which is all too common in tennis, unfortunately) and not be so quick to judge their behaviour, or if they smile enough on court. I dare to suggest that your lives and family situations are a bit better than they had growing up.

Time for Australian tennis fans to apologize, and pull their heads in.

Dokic was before my time

but most people here support Nick

 

[Redline]

I am sure people tried but I do think Tennis Australia, the WTA, other players and her Management had a social responsibility to do more given she was under 18. Of course very difficult to do without making things worse.

 

[Catters 070911]

I am sure people tried but I do think Tennis Australia, the WTA, other players and her Management had a social responsibility to do more given she was under 18. Of course very difficult to do without making things worse.

Maybe the fans had more responsibility to give the benefit of the doubt first, before criticising, only based on stuff told to you by the lying sports media.

 

[Bumpswithagrin]

No idea what the OP is on about but probably a topic worth discussing anyway. I was shocked by the revelations made by Dokic but not surprised if that makes sense. When you have someone who behaves the way Damir did in public you have to suspect his behavior in private is less than exemplary. The extent of the abuse was worse than I had imagined though. I understand people saying TA should have stepped in but the reality is it's not that easy. Look at what they have tried to do to help Tomic and it has gone nowhere and I have no doubt Tomic is another one that will have suffered abuse from his father. Interesting that Jelena had to sign over all her money to her Dad, I read somewhere that the same applies to Bernie, John controls all the money. Situations like this are very sad and make me glad I grew up with parents who just let us be kids. I really hope Jelena can find peace and a happy role in life moving on

 

[BobbyMorri]

Sadly, Dokic is just a drop in the ocean of bad tennis parents. There are too many to list.

 

[Pedantic]

I thought the general consensus about Dokic -- even well before these awful revelations -- was that her dad was a nutter and had clearly hampered her career. I can't recall her ever being as criticised by the media as people like Kyrgios or Tomic.

 

[ozgamer]

I understand people saying TA should have stepped in but the reality is it's not that easy. Look at what they have tried to do to help Tomic and it has gone nowhere and I have no doubt Tomic is another one that will have suffered abuse from his father. Interesting that Jelena had to sign over all her money to her Dad, I read somewhere that the same applies to Bernie, John controls all the money.

The prizemoney should go into a trust fund until the player turns 18 or maybe 21 to protect these young players from being their parents' meal ticket.

 

[Catters 070911]

Sadly, Dokic is just a drop in the ocean of bad tennis parents. There are too many to list.

This is why there should be a rule introduced into tennis that parents have limited access to coaching their children, and that the child needs to be coached by a professional, with the parent having limited input, outside of normal parental duties.

 

[ozgamer]

This is why there should be a rule introduced into tennis that parents have limited access to coaching their children, and that the child needs to be coached by a professional, with the parent having limited input, outside of normal parental duties.

Sounds too hard to police and if it's not easy to implement and enforce then the WTA and the ATP whose 1st priority is $$$$$ are not going to go there.

 

[Catters 070911]

Sounds too hard to police and if it's not easy to implement and enforce then the WTA and the ATP whose 1st priority is $$$$$ are not going to go there.

Not a police matter.

I mean lifetime bans for parents who won't let a professional coach take over coaching their child at a certain age, and who harasses them verbally or physically.

Security can stop parents like that attending matches that their child is in, if their child doesn't want them there.

 

[ozgamer]

Not a police matter.

I mean lifetime bans for parents who won't let a professional coach take over coaching their child at a certain age, and who harasses them verbally or physically.

Security can stop parents like that attending matches that their child is in, if their child doesn't want them there.

I never said police matter, I meant the very deterrents you speak of but if the child doesn't speak up then you are up the creek regardless. You can only impose so much authority w/o a scared-shitless player coming forward for help.

 

[Firestarter]

Didn't think someone wouldn't know that police as a verb doesn't have to literally involve the police...