MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Former professional tennis player Jelena Dokic says she nearly attempted suicide recently and has been dealing with depression and anxiety.
Dokic, who was a Wimbledon semifinalist at age 17 in 2000 and reached No. 4 in the WTA rankings, wrote in an Instagram post on Monday: “Constant feelings of sadness and pain are just not going away and my life has been shattered. I blame myself, I don’t think I am worthy of loving and I am scared.”
She said she “almost jumped off my 26th floor balcony and took my own life” in April.
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“I pulled myself (off) the edge, don’t even know how I managed to do it. Getting professional help saved my life,” the 39-year-old wrote.
“This is not easy to write but I have always been open, honest and vulnerable with you all and I deeply believe in the power of sharing our stories to help us get through things and to help each other,” she continued. “I am writing this because I know I am not the only one struggling. Just know that you are not alone.”
In an autobiography released in 2017, Dokic said her father regularly beat and kicked her. He would pull her hair, spit in her face and belittle her with vile insults. Her father also was her coach.
Her post Monday concluded this way: “Don’t be ashamed of what you are feeling. It’s ok to feel this way and you can come back from it. It’s possible, just keep believing. Love you all and here is to fighting and surviving to live and see another day. I will be back stronger than ever.”
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