Dokic unfazed by reports of father's latest rant

Jelena Dokic is unfazed by newspaper reports alleging her estranged father Damir is planning to kidnap her, the tennis player said yesterday.

Serb newspaper Kurir reported that Damir had said he wanted to kidnap his daughter and kill an Australian as revenge for her decision to return to the country.

He was also quoted as saying he had thought about dropping a nuclear bomb on Sydney and had sought help from Serbian politicians to help him with the kidnapping.

Damir denied making the comments when contacted by a Melbourne radio station.

Jelena, however, still issued a statement through her management saying she was aware of the reports and her father's denial.

She said her father had publicly threatened her before but that she hadn't spoken to him for years.

"This has proven to be yet another unfortunate distraction around my return to Australia and competitive tennis. I have spent my life recovering from events such as this," she said.

"I have not spoken to my father for a number of years and we do not agree on anything."

WTA support

The WTA, the governing body of women's tennis, said it was concerned about the remarks and would do all it could to support Jelena's comeback.

"The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour is concerned about the welfare of Jelena Dokic and will continue to support her comeback in every possible way," a spokesman said.

Dokic was beaten in the first round of the Australian Open on Monday by Virginie Razzano of France.