Jelena Dokic thanked Todd Woodbridge when she accepted the Logie for Best Factual or Documentary Program on Sunday night.
“Lastly Todd Woodbridge, you’re my person,” she began. “I say that, and this makes me cry so much, because when I sat down at that table with you 11 years ago when I retired and you said to me that I can be a commentator and bring my story to life, I looked at you and I said to you ‘I don’t know who you are talking about but you are not talking about me’.
“I was a person who couldn’t string two sentences together and had no skills,” she continued. “You believed in me professionally. I hope everyone finds a Todd like I did.
“You’re a massive reason why I’m here, I’m standing here in every single way. I say if everyone can have a father and mentor like Todd they would be very fortunate.”
Here’s everything we know about Jelena Dokic and Todd Woodbridge‘s friendship.
HOW DID JELENA DOKIC AND TODD WOODBRIDGE MEET?
Jelena and Todd met on the professional tennis circuit just two years before Jelena retired.
In 2014, when Jelena decided to bow out of the game at 29, it was Todd who encouraged her to start a new career in commentary and the media.
“(He said) … ‘What are we going to do?’”
The tennis great said the use of the word “we” made her feel like she wasn’t alone.
“He said, ‘You can commentate, you can be on TV. You can do so much with your experience and your story,’” she recalled.
The now 42-year-old said she was a “shadow of herself” at the time.
“I literally couldn’t string two sentences together, I was afraid to get out of the house, I couldn’t look people in the eye, I had no social skills left,’ she told The Australian Women’s Weekly in 2024.
“To now have found my voice — and to believe in myself and not care what other people think and have a really positive mindset — I never thought that would be the case,” she said.
INSIDE JELENA DOKIC AND TODD WOODBRIDGE’S WORKING RELATIONSHIP
The pair now regularly work side by side as sports commentators and are a regular part of Nine’s commentary team for events like the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
“He definitely helped save me,” she told The Australian Women’s Weekly. “To go from someone who almost took her own life to reinventing myself with the help of friends like Todd — it’s unbelievable!”
“I want people to go, OK, she’s not just a survivor — she’s thriving. I hope my journey helps someone out there feel empowered.”
In 2021, when Jelena broke up with her longterm boyfriend Tin, Todd was the first person she called. He took her to his family home and organised a therapy session for her for the next day.
“I always say, ‘Be somebody’s Todd, ’” she said. “Be somebody’s Tin. Be somebody’s Slava. In 15 years, I hope somebody says, ‘Be someone’s Jelena. ’ That’s my ultimate goal.”
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