Unbelievable

This is an honest representation of what Jelena went through from an early age into her twenties regarding the abuse she endured both mentally and physically at the hands of her dad.
It's a miracle she's even alive though scars will always remain.
This is pretty hard to listen to at times and you just want it to stop and reach out to help but feel so
helpless and so sad for her and are constantly hoping for some upturn in either her career or her childhood.

What a great book though!
I read sharapovas book before this and boy they couldn't have been more different.

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A tennis prodigy

A tennis player who came across on tv as a spoilt brat. This statement couldn't be further from the truth. This is the compelling story of a talented tennis player and her struggle as a refugee, emotional and physical abuse, and the tennis world. A great read.

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Deeply disturbing but gripping

I am a huge tennis fan but realised once the stories came out that there was more to Dokic’s story than the stone-faced fierce young player I remember. It is very disturbing and disappointing no one in tennis could recognise the abuse she was suffering and help.
However, I do wish the narrator had done some research and learned how to pronounce the names of a whole stack of tennis people! Those mispronunciations took me out a bit. However the dramatic and awful things Dokic went through made this a gripping listen.

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Against all Odds

Jelena is made of steel , a very sad story written perfectly . Honest representation of what happened.

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2 people found this helpful

Compelling listen and fascinating story.

I never knew anything about Jelena until recently as I’m not a tennis fan but I came across her on Instagram and read about her struggles and was intrigued. I’m genuinely in shock at how she survived what she did and how she had the steely determination to keep going, to focus and to succeed.

Listening to her story as someone lucky enough to have grown up in a loving home, I had so many questions, it shocked me how she never fought back against her father when she was older. I was literally screaming at him in my head while listening!! How are you such an a-hole!? Why do you never give her any praise? Why did you abuse her at all and even when she won matches? You are never happy! Don’t you understand that YOU are the problem?? What do you even want from her? Why do you sabotage her before every game? And then I wanted to shout at Jelena as to why she did not run like hell the minute she turned 18? And why did she pay him so much money? Why did she even answer his calls when all he had was vile abuse to throw at her? Why pick up especially right before a match as he always ruined it for her? Why not block him or change your number? And then why did she stay with that horrific coach who was clearly useless and just took her money while doing nothing? He stole from you and you still kept him on???

I screamed all those questions because I sit here from a position of privilege, never having been abused and not understanding what it does to a person. I tell myself I would have fought back and screamed and told my dad to F off if that happened, at least when I was older. But I guess what so many of us can’t understand is that the horrific abuse just breaks a person and almost makes them incapable of standing up for themselves. It destroys independence and self confidence and so much more. I hate that Jelena and so many others have gone through this and I hate that no one stepped in and helped her when she was a child. She’s incredible to have come through this and I love seeing her so active on social media now loving her life on her terms. More power to you, Jelena!

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Shocking

I remember watching Jelena on tv in the uk in her first Wimbledon aged 16. Wimbledon was the only time tennis was on in our house so I wasn’t aware of her career. I remember rooting for her because she was a similar age to me and watching all her matches and being disappointed when she was knocked out. I also thought here is a star for the future. But she seemed to disappear from the sport. Now having listened to this book I know why and what hell she was actually living. It makes her performance is even more astonishing and she had determination and courage to keep going sometimes without support. The book is difficult to listen to at times, and I was just willing for a happy ending or someone to step in and protect her. I’m looking forward to listening to her next book to see how she managed to heal from the hell she was put through.

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Brutally honest schocking story

Very honest memoir and really worth listening to. Jelena gives an insight into how her life was behind the scenes and how she was abused by her father.

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incredible life story

The story of Jelena Dokic rings a deep resounding bell in a reader's mind. Her story is a story of ferociousness, winning, abuse and family. Unbreakable is an open story of what success driven by grit, abuse and passion looks like. I am indebted to Jelena for such an honest, complete and balanced view on her life. What was going on in people's mind when Jelena was abused but winning?

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Powerful

A raw and shocking story - people should definitely read. A shame the narrator was clearly not a tennis fan, and mispronounced Ana Ivanovic, Patrick Mouratoglou, Chris Evert etc. But a great work by Jelena.

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