When it comes to acing a mixed doubles TV partnership, it doesn’t get any more on point than Todd Woodbridge and Jelena Dokic.
The former tennis stars may have put down their rackets more than a decade ago, but these days they’re serving up plenty of action and entertainment as Australia’s most loved commentary duo. Some fans have even labelled them “better” than Jim Courier and John McEnroe.
It’s easy to see why. From their effortless banter to their mutual respect, Jelena and Todd share a special bond that beats any Grand Slam championship.
Their unwavering friendship began 15 years ago when Jelena’s playing career ended due to injuries and her mental health. Unbeknownst to many at the time, the former world number four had endured years of abuse at the hands of her late father, Damir Dokic.
It was Todd, a former 22 Grand Slam title holder himself, who helped her pick up the pieces.
“Todd changed my life professionally and then personally as well,” says Jelena. “He really wanted to make sure that straight away when my career ended… he really wanted to be there for me professionally and help me be able to potentially set up another career and be able to get back up on my feet.”
And he did.
“I was a woman with nothing to aspire to, no goals and dreams left,” Jelena recalls. “[Todd] had all of this incredible belief in me…and that changed everything.”
According to Jelena, it was her former mentor who encouraged her to pursue a career in TV and to finally tell her heartbreaking story.
In 2017, Jelena released her autobiography Unbreakable, which detailed her father’s physical and emotional abuse, her turbulent tennis career and her breakup with longtime partner, Tin Bikic.
She later revealed in an interview that Todd was the first person she called when that relationship ended. The Tipping Point host immediately swung into action, picked her up and set up a counselling session.
In 2024, Jelena’s story of survival was turned into a documentary so powerful it won Best Documentary Program at the TV Week Logie Awards. Choking back tears, Jelena used her acceptance speech to thank the man, who, even in her darkest times, never turned a blind eye.
“Todd. You’re my person,” she declared. “You were the only one who believed in me, especially professionally. Thank you for that. I always say to everyone, ‘Be someone’s Todd’, and I hope that everyone finds a Todd like I did.”
Like any true friendship, they’ve had their ups and downs, too. Todd, 52, admits he’s had to have some uncomfortable conversations with Jelena.
“I got to the point where I pulled her aside and said, ‘okay you got to pivot …if you’re having a bad day give me a call but don’t put it up on your socials you know that you’re in tears and you’re feeling down,” he explained.
It’s this fatherly tough love that Jelena respects the most.
“…the father that he is – if everyone could have that in the world, they would be very fortunate. It would be a very different world.”
While Jelena and Todd never played professionally alongside each other, in 2019 they teamed as part of the Channel Nine broadcasting crew for the Australian Open. They now regularly cover the biggest tennis events of the year together. And fans can’t get enough.
“Love Jelena and Todd commenting, their banter is better than the tennis matches themselves,” one fan shared on social media.
Another wrote: “I love them teasing each other! Like siblings!”
