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Cool goodbye Vanquished Dokic booed out of Australian Open
MELBOURNE (Reuters) -- Jelena Dokic, apparantly undistracted by being booed at the Australian Open on Monday, said she loved the people of her adopted homeland. A mixed reception when she faced Lindsay Davenport was the latest situation she has had to confront during her short but tempestuous time in the tennis spotlight. Dokic and her father Damir are no strangers to controversy and they arrived at the Australian Open embroiled in another after the teenager announced at the weekend that she planned to play under the Yugoslav flag after complaining about treatment by media and officials in Australia. Dokic was given a decidely cool welcome Monday night as she walked out for her opening round match against defending champion Davenport of the United States, and was also subjected to boos as she left afterwards. Yet in between, the near-capacity crowd seemed to warm to her -- there were even some "Go Jelena" calls -- as the world number 25 showed plenty of fight to come back from 3-1 down in the first set to stretch world number two Davenport before going down 4-6 6-4 6-3 in 97 minutes. But when Dokic did not acknowledge the crowd as she left the court, the crowd booed. Dokic, however, seemed largely immune to it all and later put on a brave face. "I think it was actually quite okay. It's something I've had to deal with," Dokic, whose mother Liliana and brother Savo were in the crowd, said of her reception. "I think I did well. I expected a lot worse, but I actually didn't let it bother me at all, whatever it was going to be." The 17-year-old, whose father is banned from attending her matches because of bad behavior, said at the weekend she and her family planned to leave Australia after the Open because she feels she has been unfairly treated by the media. Reacted angrily On Friday, her father Damir, whose behavior at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year contributed to him being banned from the tour for six months, had reacted angrily to the draw pitting her against Davenport and suggested it had been rigged against his daughter. Shortly before Monday's match he told Australian television his daughter was likely to withdraw from the tournament, even had she beaten Davenport. Dokic, herself, said she knew nothing of that. "I didn't see that," she said. "I don't know that comment was made and, you know, I probably would have gone out there and played." The teenager, who was born in Yugoslavia but moved to Australia with her family in 1994 and carries dual citizenship, insisted she stood by her decision to play for Yugoslavia. "I haven't thought about that. I'm playing for Yugoslavia right now. That's the end of that," she told reporters. She said she believed she had support in Australia because she had represented the country in the past at Fed Cup and the Olympics. But she maintained the family's belief they had been singled out by the media. "There's been a lot of things written about my dad and also about me and my family that aren't right," she said. "We've been assaulted by the media a lot and I think he feels very strongly about that and he's not very happy with what has been written, especially in the last few months. "Just isn't right" "I have seen a few articles that, again, I don't think should have been written. And it just isn't right after I've played for Australia for a long time and did well every time I've played for Australia. "Every time something came up, they've attacked him, there was never positive things written about my dad or about me and my family... A lot of people telling us that, you know, they don't want me to play for Australia and that I don't belong here, which I don't think is right after everything I've done." Dokic said she would complete her doubles and mixed doubles commitments before the family moved to Florida, where they have brought a house. She insisted she had good memories of her life in Australia. "I love Australia and Australians," she said. "I have never been against anybody or anything in Australia or about Australia." Davenport said she felt for her young rival and believed she was a future top-10 player. "I think she's a great girl, she always been really nice and I think she has a great future... I think she might have some difficult days ahead. I wish her the best," Davenport said. Dokic's fighting spirit has never been doubted. "I think I'm mentally strong and try to block things out," Dokic said. "I think a lot of players would, under the circumstances, just be crushed and would just not be able to handle it."
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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