'I'd take 100 years of abuse.' The moment Jelena Dokic wishes she could change.

Content warning: This article contains graphic details of violence and assault.

Former tennis star Jelena Dokic knows viewers will struggle to watch her new feature film.

"They'll find it horrific and very difficult and disturbing, but that's what it's about," Dokic told The Herald Sun about the Australian-made documentary, which premiered in Brisbane on November 3, ahead of its official November 7 release.

Titled Unbreakable: The Jelena Dokic Story, the "heartbreaking" doco confronts viewers with personal accounts of the violent abuse Dokic allegedly endured at the hands of her father and former tennis coach, Damir.

Watch: Jelena Dokic speaks about her father's abuse. Post continues after video.

Dokic, who moved to Australia with her family when she was 11, has previously alleged that her father physically and mentally abused her regularly throughout her career, starting from the moment she picked up a racket at six years old.

"Every morning, I woke up and thought: 'How do I make sure he doesn't hurt me today?'" she says in the film.

In a chat with the Carrie & Tommy Show, Jelena addressed the moment her father forced her to play for Yugoslavia instead of Australia, a decision which drew the ire of the Australian public at the time.

"I would take 100 years of abuse if I could take back not playing for Australia for a few years," Dokic told the hosts.

"He took away from me, something that I loved so much."

At the 2001 Australian Open, a then-18-year-old Dokic was booed off Rod Laver Arena after losing to Lindsay Davenport. Meanwhile, her father stayed safely within the confines of their hotel.

"He's sitting in a hotel room watching this while I'm getting booed by 15,000 people. I just wanted to kind of drop into the ground and disappear and never come back," she said.

"I would take any abuse, anything in this world to not even just go through that personally, but that it didn't take my people, Australians and my fans and everyone that always cheered for me, that it didn't take 10 or 15 years until my book came out for them to know the truth and just how much I really love Australia."

Radio host Tommy Little couldn't contain his emotions as Jelena shared her story.

@carrietommyshow

‘I would take 100 years of abuse” - #jelenadokic on sacrificing her health and safety if it meant she could have continued playing tennis for #australia #aussie

♬ original sound - Carrie & Tommy

The tennis legend made multiple attempts to reconcile with her father over the years, but abandoned the idea when he didn't show any remorse or apologise for his alleged actions.

In what The Herald Sun described as "one of the most chilling scenes in the film", Dokic recounts one of the attacks by her drunken father after she lost a match.

"I remember he was so mad that he goes into the bathroom with me, locks the door, and he beat the crap out of me.

"He slammed my head against the wall multiple times. He was kicking me. My shins were so bruised, I couldn't walk," she claimed.

"He actually punches me in the head. And then I went unconscious for a little bit. He also stepped on my head as well."

At her lowest, Dokic said she contemplated taking her own life.

She eventually cut ties with her family in 2005, when she was 19, returning to Australia after her father made her change nationalities to Yugoslavian.

The athlete managed to climb to number four in the tennis world rankings. Now, the 41-year-old sports broadcaster says she holds no grudges.

"I don't blame anyone. I don't resent anyone. I definitely don't hate anyone, never would," she told The Herald Sun.

"I'm not bitter about it. Even to my father, which people find surprising. But I don't hate him. I don't necessarily forgive him, but I don't hate him."

While raw and confronting, the documentary — directed by award-winning producer Ivan O'Mahoney and chief sportswriter at The Australian, Jessica Halloran — is also a powerful tale of survival and hope.

In 2018, the same year Dokic spoke out in her autobiography Unbreakable, the tennis alum shared further candid details about her life with Mia Freedman on Mamamia's No Filter podcast.

Twice a refugee, Dokic recalled how her father used tennis as a way out of poverty for the family.

"From a very young age, he would tell me that I was the way out, and that I was the only one that could help the family," she shared.

"He was very motivated by having a better life and by money… The one thing I don't understand and I don't have an answer to, to this day, is: I did earn all this money, I was playing unbelievably, but his abuse never really stopped."

She went on to say that her mother, Ljiljana, was also abused by her father. But having grown up without parents, Ljiljana didn't want her children to have the same fate. So she stayed for Jelena and her younger son, Savo.

"To a certain extent I understood," the tennis player said of her mother's behaviour. "But [Dad] went overboard. I don't understand sometimes why she didn't interfere."

Listen to the full episode. Post continues below.

Once Dokic left for Australia, her mum urged her to return home.

"She was pushing me to go back into this abusive situation. That's where our relationship really struggled. I would have been able to get over her not getting involved while [the abuse] was happening, but once I left, she pushed me to go back. And that was really hard for me."

The 41-year-old has since had those "hard conversations" with her mother, who was "kicked out" by her father around 16 years ago.

In speaking up about her experience, Dokic doesn't want pity; she says she simply hopes that other women might find strength in her story.

"I want more people to say no, to fight for themselves, to not be scared," she said.

If you or anyone you know have experienced targeted violence, please contact Lifeline (13 11 14), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800), both of which provide trained counsellors you can talk with 24/7. If you are in immediate danger, call 000.

Mamamia is a charity partner of RizeUp Australia, a Queensland-based organisation that helps women and families move on after the devastation of domestic violence. If you would like to support their mission to deliver life-changing and practical support to these families when they need it most, you can donate here. You can also donate to their Christmas Appeal here.

This article was originally published on November 2, 2024 and has since been updated with new information.

Feature Image: Getty/Unbreakable: The Jelena Dokic Story.