She may be out of Wimbledon already, but I was very pleased to read this...
Dokic rules out reconciliation with jailed dadLONDON, June 23 (Reuters) - Disappointment has a way of following Jelena Dokic around the world and after having to deal with injury woes and the news her father had been jailed over the past month, she was struck by illness on Tuesday.
The Yugoslav-born Australian's return to Wimbledon following a five-year absence ended in heartache, a dizzy spell effectively wrecking her day as she slumped to a 3-6 7-5 6-2 defeat by Germany's Tatjana Malek.
But, as has been the case during her roller-coaster career, the main topic of conversation turned to the latest antics of her estranged father Damir, whose list of misdemeanours include smashing a reporter's mobile phone and blocking traffic by laying down in the middle of a road.
Damir Dokic was jailed for 15 months earlier this month for making death threats against the Australian ambassador in Belgrade and on Tuesday his daughter was grilled about the latest instalment of his bizarre behaviour.
"Every time he does something, I just don't think it's necessary for me to answer questions regarding that because it really has nothing to do with me," said the 26-year-old.
She has cut all ties from her domineering father after being subjected to years of physical and mental abuse.
"I haven't even been reading the papers or the internet. I didn't even have any idea what was going on," she said.
Since Damir was put behind bars, there had been speculation his daughter might reconcile with him but Dokic ruled that out.
"I have absolutely nothing at all to do with him. So I don't see why people would think that I would reunite with my dad when every single question I answer is about me not doing that.
LAST SENTENCE
"Now and forever, there is no way that I would ever reunite with him or ever have a relationship with him.
"So this is the last sentence ever you guys will hear from me (on the subject) and that's the way it is."
She was, however, happy to discuss the setbacks in her tennis career.
After reviving her fortunes by reaching the quarter-finals at the Australian Open in January, Dokic's season has failed to take off.
Her French Open challenge ended in agony and floods of tears when she was forced to retire with a back injury while leading a second round match against Elena Dementieva.
On a hot and sticky day at Wimbledon, Dokic needed her blood pressure checked on court before her challenge melted away under the scorching heat.
"Maybe it's a virus or something. I was aching a little bit and I was dizzy," said the 76th-ranked Australian, who reached the semi-finals in 2000.
"Maybe I should have called the trainer earlier. But I was still feeling pretty bad in the third set, so I don't know whether it would have made any difference," she said.
Since January, Dokic has failed to win back-to-back matches on the main tour and blamed herself for not being more careful with her commitments.
"I made a major mistake with my schedule after the Australian Open. I just played the wrong tournaments," she said.
"Coming into Roland Garros I only played four events, and I think that's nowhere near enough. Going to Australia to play on a grass court in the middle of April for Fed Cup I think hurt me a lot. I really need to go back and figure stuff out now."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/feedarticle/8572790