Who is Jelena Dokic's father Damir? All you need to know about the controversial tennis coach in light of the Aussie's upcoming documentary

Jelena Dokic rose to prominence with her performance at the 1999 Wimbledon Championships, but it was her turbulent relationship with her outspoken father, Damir Dokic, that also drew her to the spotlight over the years.

Dokic was a refugee from war-torn Serbia who moved to Australia during her childhood. She turned pro in 1998 and went on to play till 2014, reaching a career-high ranking of No. 4. She won six titles, claiming at least one on every surface, with her best Grand Slam result being a semifinal run at Wimbledon in 2000.

Her father, Damir, served as her coach throughout her career. Known for his perfectionism, he frequently resorted to violence when his expectations were not met, as disclosed by Dokic.

A self-proclaimed veteran of the Croatian War of Independence, Damir hails from Serbia.

Damir became notorious on tour for his ludicrous behavior— His first major incident occurred at the 2000 US Open when he flung a fish at a cafeteria worker after complaining about paying $10 for a small portion. He was subsequently banned from the tournament for his actions.

In 2001, following Jelena's first-round loss at the Australian Open, Damir accused the tournament organizers of rigging the draw against her. He also claimed he was banned from the event due to his supposed bad behavior.

In June 2009, Damir made headlines after threatening Clare Birgin, the Australian ambassador to Serbia, with a hand grenade. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison for public endangerment and illegal possession of weapons, though his sentence was reduced to 12 months on appeal. He was released in April 2010.

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"I was silenced for my whole life" - Jelena Dokic went public about her father's abuse in 2017

In her 2017 autobiography Unbreakable, Jelena Dokic opened up about the physical and emotional abuse she endured at the hands of her father throughout her childhood.

He regularly beat her with a belt, hard-capped boots, and primarily through verbal tirades. On one occasion, he even knocked her unconscious.

'Even if I won, I would still at times be beaten and be abused. I had some very difficult moments where I was beaten and kicked and punched to the point of being unconscious. I was silenced for my whole life.' she was quoted as saying about him.

It was almost as though he wanted to silence her, which is exactly what he did for a considerable period.

"From the very first day that I started playing tennis, the No. 1 rule was "Never tell anyone anything, or there will be massive, massive consequences",' she said of his dominating personality," she continued.

In January earlier this year, Jelena Dokic revealed to the Sydney Morning Herald that she hadn’t spoken to her father in 10 years, despite attempts to reconcile. Her efforts were in vain as her father refused to accept responsibility or show remorse.

"I think no matter what happens, you kind of hope that maybe you can kind of salvage a relationship when it comes to family. But it's very hard when someone doesn't have any remorse or can't say sorry. In fact, what he says is that he would do it all again. I had to make a cut and go," she was quoted as saying.

Her book is now set to hit the big screens as a documentary film. The film is set to feature other pioneers of the tennis fraternity, including the likes of Pam Shriver and Lindsay Davenport.