5 female tennis players who braved troubled relationships with their fathers to become stars ft. Steffi Graf, Jennifer Capriati

Steffi Graf and Jennifer Capriati caught the shutterbug's attention with their rivalry in women's tennis during the 1990's. The duo took on each other eleven times on tour, with Graf dominating their head-to-head battle 10-1. The German claimed the bragging rights on most occasions, but Capriati managed to get one over by clinching a priceless Gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Apart from raising the bar and setting the standard for their peers, the duo shared one more thing in common. Both players endured a hectic relationship with their fathers. While in some instances it helped them to prepare for the big stage, others hampered their performances on the court and left a stain on their mental well-being.

On that note, let's take a look at five female tennis players, who braved abuse from their fathers and went on to achieve success on the women's tour.

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5) Mary Pierce

Mary Pierce in the Indian Wells Masters on tour

Fifth on the list is former World No. 3 and six-time Grand Slam finalist Mary Pierce.

Pierce announced herself to the women's tour with a runner-up finish in the 1994 French Open, where she lost to Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the final. She eventually clinched her first Major title the following year in the Australian Open.

Amidst all the accolades on court, Pierce was known to have a rocky relationship with her father Jim Pierce. Even though Jim played an instrumental role in making her a world-class tennis player, the duo had their differences. The French player accused her father of physical abuse on several occasions, which Jim officially denied during his interviews. Pierce was also forced to travel under fake names, hire bodyguards and file restraining orders to protect herself from Jim's unpredictable behavior.

The 49-year-old only met her father once from the age of 18 to 25, a period when she captured her maiden Grand Slam crown in Melbourne. She was petrified of her father and afraid to have a meaningful relationship with him. The duo eventually reconciled in 2000, when Mary Pierce felt he had become more accepting and allowed her father a second chance in her life.

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4) Jennifer Capriati

Capriati at the 2012 International Tennis Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony

Fourth on the list is former World No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam champion, Jennifer Capriati.

Capriati also shared a controversial relationship with her father Stefano Capriati. Known to be a stuntman, Stefano's reputation for having a rigid personality affected his daughter's tennis career. He introduced his daughter to professional tennis at the age of 13 and quickly gained a reputation for being a bully.

The American tried to manage most of his daughter's schedule and interactions with tournament organizers. He refused to comply with the rules and regulations at the 2002 Fed Cup, which prompted Capriati's exclusion from the event.

Capriati also took a break from tennis in 1994 at the peak of her form. It is believed that an unstable relationship with her father caused the roadblock. Moreover, Stefano was also accused of using Capriati's name and earnings at his convenience.

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3) Mirjana Lucic

Lucic at the 2017 Australian Open - Day 10

Former World No. 20 Mirjana Lucic stunned the tennis fraternity with a sensational doubles triumph at the 1998 Australian Open alongside Martina Hingis. She managed to achieve the milestone at the mere age of 15 and entered her name in the history book as the youngest player to win a doubles Major title.

However, soon after her triumph, Lucic was forced to leave her home country Croatia, and flee to the USA in an attempt to distance herself from her father, Marinko Lucic. She voiced her tough ordeals with him during interviews and even reduced her participation in tennis from 2003-2006.

Lucic eventually returned to the tour in 2007 and captured her third tour-level title in 2016 in Quebec City. She defeated Venus Williams 6-4, 6-3 in the final.

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2) Steffi Graf

Graf at the 1995 Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship2

Second on the list is tennis legend Steffi Graf, who clinched 22 Grand Slam titles during her career.

Graf was easily the best player of her generation and ruled women's tennis during the 1980s and 1990s. However, amidst the glitz and glamour on the outside, the German also endured a tough relationship with her father Peter Graf behind the scenes.

Even though Graf always maintained that she had no problems with her father, Peter was known to be a stern taskmaster and extremely demanding at all times. He made the former World No. 1 practice for hours even before lengthy travels and even manipulated her schedule to preserve her No. 1 ranking in the world.

Peter was also the center of attraction during Graf's matches on a number of occasions, be it due to a verbal spat with the chair umpire or a fistfight with the audience in attendance.

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1) Jelena Dokic

Jelena Dokic on the women's tour

Lastly, former World No. 4 Jelena Dokic also shared a chaotic relationship with her father.

Dokic is famously known for upsetting Martina Hingis in the 1999 Wimbledon Championships at the age of 16. To date, she is the only qualifier to defeat a top-ranked player at the All-England Club.

The Australian underwent arguably one of the toughest ordeals with her father, Damir Dokic, who was popularly known as the tennis dad from hell. From physical abuse at a young age to explicit verbal abuse post her matches, she sustained challenging times with her father. The situation affected her to the extent of initiating suicidal thoughts and eventually prompted her to run away from her father's wrath one night.

Despite having won $4.5 million in prize money, Dokic ran away in the middle of the night in 2002 with minimum funds, a racquet bag, and a suitcase. The 41-year-old made a remarkable comeback at the 2009 Australian Open, where she reached the quarterfinals.

She captured tour-level titles on all surfaces during her career and reached the semifinals of the Wimbledon Championships in 2000, which was her best result at a Major.