Open bosses lend support to Dokic

Australian tennis officials have thrown their support behind embattled Jelena Dokic
despite her entourage being embroiled in an air-rage incident on route to the
Australian Open.

Dokic's boyfriend Tin Bikic and his brother Borna Bikic, who is Dokic's coach, were
quizzed by Australian Federal Police following an incident on a flight to Melbourne
on Thursday.
Dokic's management confirmed the issue involved allegations the duo argued with
another passenger and a member of the plane's cabin crew.
They issued an apology on behalf of both brothers.
Dokic looked to be feeling the pressure as she practised at Melbourne Park late on
Friday.
She appeared unsettled and off her game during the session - perhaps also due in
part to her dreadful performance at the Hobart International this week where she
went down 6-2 6-2 to Israel's Shahar Peer.
Australian tennis bosses were not risking any damage to their recently patched-up
relationship with Team Dokic when asked about the air-rage incident ahead of next
week's tournament.
"We have spoken to Jelena and Jelena's team, and there's two sides to the story,"
Australian Open boss Craig Tiley said.
"All I can speak to is the dealings we've had with Jelena's team, particularly over
the past four years, have been nothing but good.
"All our discussion has been directly with Jelena and with her team, and their
assessment of it was that it was a minor incident."
Tiley acknowledged that Dokic, who was the feelgood story of last year's Open in a
dream run to the quarter-finals, would have to be at her best for a repeat.
But he said it should be remembered the 26-year-old had been playing well prior to
Hobart.
"There is pressure ... getting into the second week of a grand slam is not easy and
Jelena was certainly the darling of the tournament last year," Tiley said.
"But she has been playing good tennis going in - the last two months particularly
winning a couple of events. Anything could happen."