Former Australian tennis champion Jelena Dokic has showed off her incredible body transformation after years of struggling with her weight gain.
The 35-year-old, who hails from Melbourne, lived off an unhealthy diet after she started emotional eating as a way to cope with her retirement.
The former World No. 4 said she was too ashamed to leave her house after she tipped the scales at 120 kilos at her heaviest.
Determined to get on top of her weight once and for all, Dokic has since made a remarkable transformation after embarking on a weight loss journey.
Taking to Instagram, the tennis star – who now weighs around 80 kilos – documented her progress – as she hopes to slim back down to her playing physique of 66kg.
March 2019: Former Australian tennis champion Jelena Dokic shared this photo on her Instagram earlier this month, revealing the extent of her extraordinary weight loss
March 2018: This photo of Jelena taken in March 2018 shows just how far she’s come in a year
June 2011: Jelena celebrates during a first round match at Wimbledon in 2011
‘I thought I would brave the judgment, negativity and scrutiny that sometimes comes with being in the public eye and on social media and put myself and my struggles out there and hopefully inspire, motivate and help others, especially women,’ Dokic said.
She shared a timeline showing her incredible transformation on October and December 2018, and March 2019.
‘The photo on the left and the start of my weight loss journey is a hard one to post and look at. I was unhealthy and unfit but even more importantly I was so unhappy, with no confidence,’ Dokic said.
‘I didn’t want to go out of the house and I even turned down work opportunities because I was so insecure and unhappy.’
Progress: Jelena shared this composite photo on Instagram this week to show how her body has changed over the last five months. Pictured left to right during her weight loss
But after years of struggling with her weight gain, Dokic signed up to Jenny Craig.
‘They have changed my life,’ she said.
‘I didn’t know what I was in for when I first tried the program but very quickly I discovered just how easy and convenient it is and just how tasty the food is.
‘I love the fact that my food portions are all set with almost no prep time and more than 70 menu items to choose from without jeopardising my weight loss.
‘My favourite part is having my own consultant who I get to see once a week and who supports me every step of the way. That support has been life changing.’
2000: Jelena Dokic burst onto the global tennis scene at Wimbledon 1999 when she was just 16 and rapidly ascended through the world rankings. Pictured, Jelena at the US Open in 2000
2009: Jelena after winning her third round match against Caroline Wozniacki during day five of the Australian Open in January 2009
Dokic said she has been able to lead a healthier lifestyle since embarking on her weight loss journey.
‘It’s not just about weight loss either but about having a healthy and balanced lifestyle and developing healthy but sustainable habits for the rest of your life,’ she said.
‘While I don’t want to talk about the kilos too much, I have lost almost 20 kilos between the second and third picture alone.
‘I hope I can inspire and motivate you all. No matter what you are trying to achieve, it can be done. I am half way on my weight loss journey and very excited about what is ahead.’
Her latest social media post comes just months after she spoke candidly about her struggles with weight gain after she announced her retirement in 2014.
‘I was thrown into retirement not knowing what direction I wanted to go in,’ she told the Sunday Herald Sun in January.
‘I wasn’t prepared – that’s where my weight gain started.
‘When you’re a professional athlete, you’re in this bubble that’s not reality – everything is done for you … training, food, travel, management, so going back into real life was very different.’
2018: Dokic (pictured left on TV in August 2018 and right in July 2018) said she’s now on a mission to slim down to her playing weight of 66kg in the New Year
Dokic said her battle with depression, glandular fever and a thyroid condition also contributed to her weight gain after it affected her metabolism.
Determined to get back on top of her fluctuating weight once and for all, Dokic – who now weighs 99kg – said she hopes to shed a further 33kg in the New Year after being named as Jenny Craig’s newest ambassador.
Dokic said she and her boyfriend of 15 years Tin Bikic are planning to get married and start a family together in the near future.
She has been documenting her incredible workouts at the gym on Instagram.
Her book Unbreakable shocked the world in 2017 after she detailed the horrific abuse she suffered at the hands of her father during her career
‘Today is my tomorrow. It’s up to me to shape it, to take control and seize every opportunity,’ she said in one of her posts.
‘The power is in the choices I make each day. I eat well, I train, I live well. I shape me. It comes down to one simple thing: How bad do you want it?
‘Because I want it really bad and I will get it.’
In 2017, her book Unbreakable shocked the world after she revealed explosive details about the horrific abuse she allegedly suffered at the hands of her father during her career.
The tennis legend said the worst beating she ever endured was after losing early on at the 2000 du Maurier Open in Canada.
Dokic said she has been leading a healthier lifestyle since embarking on weight loss journey
The Australian tennis star – who now weighs around 80 kilos – documented her incredible progress – as she hopes to slim back down to her playing figure of 66kg
‘It was a really nasty memory that will stay with me forever… I ended up fainting,’ she recalled. ‘He beat me really badly.’
The Croatian-born athlete alleged she was whipped with a leather belt if they had a bad training session and her shins were kicked with heavy dress shoes, often leaving her bruised and bloodied.
The teenage star’s career peaked when she made the Wimbeldon quarter finals in 1999 and semi finals in 2000, followed by the 2002 French Open quarter finals.
After years out of the top rankings she made a comeback in 2009 to make the quarter finals of the 2009 Australian Open.