Dokic finds joy in tennis commentary box

Jelena Dokic says tennisI have commentating has given her purpose. Like she was driven to win on the court, Dokic says she only wants to improve and keep evolving in new found passion.

Jelena Dokic on commentary: ‘I’m constantly trying to evolve. I’m constantly trying to be better’

Tears were rolling down Jelena Dokic’s face and she was just moments from going back live on TV.

She quietly wept as she watched a pre-recorded interview with newly-crowned Wimbledon champion Ash Barty, who was speaking about how her parents’ belief in her helped her become a grand slam champion and a world No 1.

As the Barty interview played out, Nine’s host Todd Woodbridge could see his co-commentator Dokic was crying. They were seconds from going back on air and Woodbridge realised what was “going on” and asked was she going to “be OK”.

Dokic stoically nodded and wiped the tears away. They were back live on air, when impromptu she delivered a heartfelt speech about the importance of a parent’s love and care.

“As someone who didn’t have that support, it is so important, this will set an example for parents in Australia and around the world, not just how to raise a champion but a genuinely wonderful human being,” Dokic said back in July. That moment went viral.

It’s no secret her father Damir Dokic nearly destroyed her life. His abusive ways were documented in her best-selling book “Unbreakable’’. But the former world No 4 doesn’t live her life with regrets or wonder “what if’’.

Having helped Dokic write her book, hearing firsthand the horror she went through, she has notably never once complained about her wretched childhood nor pitied herself. While Dokic has suffered so much, all she can feel is joy and elation for those like Barty and her family.

“I felt nothing but joy for Ash,” Dokic said. “It’s so nice to see players do well, who have also had the right support, especially because of my personal experience and everything that I went through. I don’t think I need to repeat all of that.” She adds with a laugh; “you know, to ruin the good story.”

Dokic’s focus today, among other projects, is to be the best commentator she can be. It is commentating which has given Dokic a strong sense of purpose since she retired at the age of 29 because of a wrist injury. Her love of the game has been transferred to commentary and she has become a firm fixture on Channel 9’s Australian, French Open and Wimbledon coverage.

“Commentary actually brings me a lot of joy because it’s something I genuinely have so much passion for,” Dokic says. “I genuinely have a passion for TV and of course I have so much passion for the game.”

While the Nine Network doesn’t have the rights to the US Open which begins tomorrow, Dokic will be glued to it. She has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of tennis.

She has a sharp analytical tennis brain. A ridiculously good memory; Dokic can tell you who she was playing in the third round of whatever tournament and what the scoreline was way back in a match in say 1999. She can tell you the weather, who was standing where in the crowd and who hit whatever shot to win the game.

This, coupled having lived the tour life for nearly 15 years, sees her bring so much to the commentary box. While she may have picked up a tennis racquet at six and been a natural, commentating has taken some time to learn.

“Commentating takes a lot practice, because obviously the way you speak when you are commentating is very different to when you‘re speaking to someone in person,” Dokic said.

“You have to be aware of the audience and what is the best way to explain it to them. At times you have to be very punchy, because you are constrained by time and you have to be able to sometimes explain things in only a couple of sentences. It’s about learning when you bring a little bit of that light and shade and a little bit of humour.”

“But in focusing on tennis, I think it’s about the knowledge of the players, but also the game. I like to spend hours researching and preparing. I have a book full of notes about players and their games.”

“I’m constantly trying to evolve. I’m constantly trying to be better.”

Dokic is here on our screen because of one person who really believed in her.

Eight years ago it was former doubles champion Todd Woodbridge who sat her down in a cafe at the National Tennis Centre in Melbourne and asked her what her plans were beyond tennis. She was unsure of her future, still nursing the wounds of a tumultuous childhood and teenage years, and still a little hopeful of maybe playing tennis again.

But Woodbridge was the one who implored her to write a book, to get down everything she had been through from being a refugee (twice) and to speak of her brutal childhood.

Woodbridge also encouraged her to try commentary. Dokic had already had one small foray into the commentary box at Wimbledon one year, taking a seat alongside John Newcombe and she liked it. “I felt comfortable,” she says. There was an opportunity to commentate for Tennis Australia’s inhouse channel and then Channel 9 offered her a job.

She has been with the network since 2019 and her work has extended from the commentary box to a Cross Court show, she hosts with Woodbridge.

That vulnerable moment at the conclusion of the Wimbledon coverage in July, sealed yet another strong commentary performance from the 38-year-old.

While her words about Barty’s family support went viral, her match commentary also drew praise. She received many messages telling her she was doing a great job, “refreshing and knowledgeable” said some, and she has drawn industry praise.

“I really like to hear their feedback, their thoughts on my views and my insights,” Dokic said.

“I’ve made such a good transition as an athlete into other areas, I have other plans, and goals to continue to improve. I am thinking about writing another book and focusing on my motivational speaking.

“My future is feeling bright but the most important thing is that I am happy and I love what I am doing.”