I heard about this rumour as to why Jelena Dokic official website shut down and mentioned it in that thread about Martina's Connie Chung interview.

It's been confirmed in the Australian press and radio.

Here's a link :


http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/comm...5E12216,00.html[/url]

What an ass ! this guy is always saying and doing the most damaging things and Dokic keeps remaining loyal to her dad

Alex, the link didn't work for me.

sorry

try this one:

http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,4768544%255E12216,00.ht ml://http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com....E12216,00.ht ml://http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com....E12216,00.ht ml

Pam Shriver made the best comment I ever heard about tennis parents during a TV broadcast a few years ago. When asked who she thought the best tennis parents were, Pam replied "The Davenports because I've never met them!".

There is no telling how much more Jelena Dokic could accomplish if she didn't have Damir to contend with. She has the tools to be a contender on all the surfaces. Where is the mother in this?

Only once Jennifer Capriati hit bottom did her dingy parents realize the damage they'd done to her. When they finally stepped back and calmed down, JCap has thrived.

Venus and Serena have exploded since Oracene has become the primary travel companion for the sisters. They had to have been sometimes distracted by Richard's antics and rants, whether they would admit it or not.

And I firmly believe Anna K's biggest obstacle is not her serve or her psyche, but her mother.

[ July 26, 2002: Message edited by: George_vikingfan ]

There was a great bit in Tennis magazine about Lindsay's mom, Ann. Lindsay moved back in with her mother for a while after she living on her own for a while (Lindsay got a little homesick), so it's obvious that the two are very close. While Ann is very encouraging, she treats tennis as just a game and is just as supportive of Lindsay, win or lose. She gives Lindsay advice only if asked, but otherwise Lindsay makes all her own decisions about her game and endorsements. Perhaps most important, Ann holds a full-time job that she's very dedicatd to (some sort of volleyball association in California, I think). She has a very full life of her own and obviously feels no need to live life vicariously through her daughter. She fully supports herself financially and doesn't sponge off her daughter's earnings. Those are claims that the tennis nightmare parents (Stefano Capriati, Damir Dokic, Kournikova's mom) cannot make.

Pete Sampras's parents almost never attend his matches (if they've been in the stands for even a half-dozen during Pete's long career, I'd be very surprised). Even as a junior, Pete reports that his father would drive him to a tournament, and come the big match, disappear. His father said that he did that not because he didn't support Pete (both parents were very encouraging and supportive) but because he wanted to give Pete the message that tennis was his thing.

I can understand that tennis parents would want to be there for their kids, especially since some start out on the tour so young and there are a lot of greasy characters out there looking to take advantage. But there's a world of difference between being there for your child's benefit and glomming on for your own selfish gain. Mind you, God forbid you ever confronted Damir Dokic on his true motivations. I'm sure he sees himself as completely saintly and selfless. It ain't just a river in Egypt, ya know.