Former Australian tennis star Jelena Dokic gave a tearful tribute to Wimbledon winner Ash Barty and the support she has from her family.

"I just want to get this out before I fall apart," Dokic said on Nine, having watched Barty lift Wimbledon's Venus Rosewater Dish the previous night.

"I want to give a shout-out to her parents, Robert and Josie, because people underestimate the importance of family. She (Barty) talks about that all the time.

"As someone who didn't have that support, it is so important. This will set an example for parents in Australia and around the world; not how to raise a champion but a genuinely wonderful human being.

Dokic's emotional tribute to Barty's parents. ❤️️ #9WWOS #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/8aEEE5olTv

— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) July 12, 2021

"This is how you support them. You don't pressure them, you're there for them and this is why she's there. So, big shout-out to them, well done."

Dokic is referring to the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father and former tennis coach, Damir.

She claims in her biography Unbreakable that she was kicked out of the London hotel room by her father after she lost the Wimbledon semi-final in 2000.

She claims she was forced to find somewhere close to the Wimbledon courts to sleep and was systematically beaten by her father.

Dokic, to her credit, got out what she wanted to say about Barty without losing her composure.