Jelena Dokic hints a return to tennis

Former world No.4 Jelena Dokic has revealed that there is a possibility of her returning to tennis, but only to doubles competition and/or legends events.

In a video interview with Nine, the 37-year-old Australian said that one should never say never and that she would love to get a chance to be on court again.

For the first time since her retirement, Dokic played competitively at the 2020 Australian Open legends event, teamed up with Dinara Safina, and she was pleased with her level:

I played really well and hit the ball pretty well. Even the volleys.

Watching the interview, I concluded that there is a possibility that we’ll again see Dokic playing tennis competitively, however, it will be far from a full return, only a bit of doubles or some legends.

In recent years, while being away from tennis, Dokic published her autobiography entitled “Unbreakable”, courageously sharing her story of mysery and abuse by her father. Moreover, Dokic is putting her drastic weight loss journey out there for the world to see and be inspired by her ability to overcome struggles.

Already as a teenager Dokic made a name for herself in the tennis world. One of her most memorable moments was when as a 16-year-old qualifier she defeated world No.1 Martina Hingis 6-2 6-0 at Wimbledon 1999 and proceeded to reach the quarterfinals, while the next season she went one step further, to the semifinals of the grasscourt Grand Slam.

By the age of 19, Dokic was already in the Top 5, but off-court problems put her on the sidelines for years. In 2009, Dokic’s career went through a spectacular revival, when she reached the Australian Open quarterfinals while being ranked 187th in the world. In March 2011, she won the Malaysian Open, ending a nine-year title drought, but later struggled badly with form and injuries, only to finally hang up her racquet in 2014.