27 Jan 2009

Dokic's father won't be allowed to contact daughter

8:39 am on 27 January 2009

Jelena Dokic's estranged father Damir will be denied access to his daughter should he attempt to gatecrash her Australian Open tennis party.

Tournament officials have confirmed that while he is free to purchase tickets to Melbourne Park, Damir will not be allowed to make contact with Australia's comeback queen - unless given permission to do so by Dokic.

With Dokic making a fairytale run to the quarter-finals as a wildcard, Damir has threatened to race from Belgrade to Melbourne to watch her in the final, should the 25-year-old made it.

But the 50-year-old's possible return to Australia seems unlikely after he reportedly collapsed during his daughter's fourth round victory on Sunday and remains in hospital in Serbia.

Dokic insisted after the win over Russian Alisa Kleybanova that her father will not be welcome.

Damir was banned for six months in 2000 from attending any WTA tournaments following a string of offences, but that worldwide suspension has long since expired, leaving him as free as anyone to buy a ticket to the Open.