WARNING: This article discusses mental health, suicide, and depression. If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, help is always available. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14. More resources are listed at the bottom of this article.
Former tennis star and current commentator of Channel Nine‘s Australian Open coverage, Jelena Dokic has laid bare the horrific online comments she has witnessed about herself over the past week of commentating the tennis in Melbourne.
WATCH: Jelena Dokic opens up about her abusive father
The 39-year-old has posted a comment that was written in Serbian to her Instagram page. Translated to english it reads, “Now that the Australian Open is starting will Jelena Dokic try to kill herself like she does every year.”
The former world Number Four is determined to stand up to the trolls, writing alongside the nasty comment, “I am fighting for all of those who feel like they don’t have a voice, who don’t feel like they are being heard, for those who are struggling, for those who have struggled with suicidal thoughts, have lost loved ones and friends to suicide and I am fighting against ignorance, bad people, trolls, online abuse and disgusting human beings.”
After retiring from the game in 2014, Jelena has been open about her mental health struggles, in 2017 she revealed the decades of vicious abuse she received at the hands of her own father, Damir Dokic, in her memoir, Unbreakable.
And in June last year she shared on social media that she had hit rock bottom and lost the will to go on.
“I had a low moment and definitely it wasn’t easy. I even for a second there felt like I had failed because I was there [having these suicidal thoughts] back in 2006 and I felt like I would never be there again.”
WATCH: Jelena Dokic opens up about weight loss journey
Jelena recognised her own mental health crisis and managed to seek help, and recovered by taking a break and slowing down.
As a commentator at the Australian Open in 2022, Jelena was trolled with cruel comments fired at her on social media, as she told the Australian Woman’s Weekly in December 2022, “It was all about my body weight. I didn’t even get upset. I got really frustrated,” she said.
“We should be looking at whether people are kind, gracious, compassionate, what they try to do with it. I want to be known for inspiring someone, not what size I am and what my weight is.”
Unfortunately, the trolling has arisen again this year, as Jelena has taken to Instagram again to respond to those who have written nasty comments about her weight on social media.
Her response was dignified, writing “The most common comment being ‘what happened to her, she is so big’?
“I will tell you what happened, I am finding a way and surviving and fighting. And it really doesn’t matter what I am doing and what happened because size shouldn’t matter.
“Kindness and being a good person matters which those of you that abuse me and others, are clearly not.”
If you need someone to talk to, call:
Lifeline on 13 11 14
Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36
Headspace on 1800 650 890
QLife on 1800 184 527
This article first appeared on our sister site Now To Love.
