Australian officials try to persuade Dokic to stay

Australia's top tennis official is hoping to persuade Yugoslav-born Jelena Dokic not to break ties with her adopted country.

The controversial teenager wants to live in Belgrade when playing in Europe and plans to take a Yugoslav passport, the Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti reported on Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for Tennis Australia said on Thursday that president Geoff Pollard wanted to speak with Dokic when she returned to Australia.

"As soon as she hits the country, Geoff will meet her face to face," she said. "(They) need to sort out these issues."

Dokic's management team said they were confident she would continue to play for Australia.

"She's always showed a strong commitment to playing for Australia, like the Fed Cup and Olympics this year, and I'm hopeful that will continue into the future," a spokesman said.

Dokic, 17, and her family moved to Australia in 1994. They settled in Sydney and Dokic quickly caught the eye of the country's talent scouts.

But the Wimbledon semi-finalist's promising career has been plagued by controversy, centred around her father Damir who is currently banned from the women's tour after running foul of officials at three of this year's four Grand Slam tournaments.

When a local magazine recently suggested Damir needed help to control his volatile temper, Dokic vowed to turn her back on Australia.

Damir, speaking in broken English, told Australian television on Thursday that he was also unhappy with the way he had been portrayed by sections of the media and believed his daughter should not play for Australia.