Damir Dokić (; 1958 – 16 May 2025) was a Serbian tennis coach. He was the father and first coach of former professional tennis player
Jelena Dokic.
He gained notoriety for being involved in various violent incidents in which he was verbally and physically abusive.
Early life and education
Damir Dokić, a Serb, and his wife Ljiljana (née Podnar), a Croat, lived in
Osijek where they had two children, Jelena born in 1983 and her younger brother, Savo.
Dokić was a self-proclaimed veteran of the
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence) and (rarely) "War in Krajina" ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Рат у Крајини, Rat u Krajini) are used. was an armed conflict fought in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 between Croats, Croat forces loyal to the Governmen ...
, in which he fought on the side of the
Serbs.
Due to the instability of the
breakup of Yugoslavia, the family settled in
Sombor,
Serbia
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, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
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, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
for a short time before immigrating to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
in 1994.
Upon arrival in Australia they lived in
Fairfield, a suburb of
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
.
Coaching career
Dokic coached his daughter Jelena from a young age until 2002.
In 1999, Jelena, a qualifier at
Wimbledon and ranked no 129 at the time, caused an upset when she defeated world No. 1
Martina Hingis in straight sets in the first round. Jelena rapidly ascended through the rankings after her Wimbledon breakthrough but her time in the world elite was beset by off-court struggles. Jelena has stated that her father had abused her verbally, emotionally, and physically on a regular basis throughout her childhood and during her career.
On the advice of her outspoken father and coach, Jelena switched allegiance to the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in November 2000. In 2002, Jelena dropped her father as coach and, in 2003, hired
Borna Bikić to replace him. She switched her allegiance back to Australia in 2005.
For a time, after he ceased being his daughter's coach, Dokic returned to Serbia where he manufactured plum and pear "Eagle Brandy".
Incidents
In 2000, Dokic threw a piece of fish at a cafeteria worker at the
US Open after complaining about paying $10 for it. He was then banned from the tournament.
At the
2001 Australian Open, after Jelena Dokic's first-round loss to
Lindsay Davenport, Dokić said that there were irregularities in the draw and that he was banned from the tournament due to abusive behavior. He later said "I think the draw is fixed just for her."
During the
2002 Australian Open, he was featured in a series of advertisements for
Kia Motors
Kia Corporation (, formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry (京城精密工業) and Kia Motors Corporation) is a South Korean multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, ...
, the title sponsor of the event, poking fun at his past misconduct. Kia defended the choice, citing 98 percent recognition of him and saying that he would not be too expensive.
In June 2009, after Dokic threatened the Australian ambassador to Serbia,
Clare Birgin, with a
hand grenade, Dokić was sentenced to 15 months in prison for causing public danger and for the illegal possession of weapons. He appealed against the sentence but it was upheld in September 2009. Following a further appeal, the sentence was reduced to 12 months and Dokić was released from jail in April 2010.
Death
Damir Dokić died on 16 May 2025,
after an apparent battle with cancer.
[https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/tennis/jelena-dokics-estranged-father-damir-dokic-has-died/news-story/41749764d92f6b7187971277e1680164?amp]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dokic, Damir
1958 births
2025 deaths
Serbian tennis coaches
Sportspeople from Osijek
Military personnel of the Croatian War of Independence
Serbs of Croatia
People convicted of illegal possession of weapons