Former Tennis Star Jelena Dokic Says She Contemplated Suicide in April

Six-time WTA singles champion Jelena Dokic said Monday on social media she contemplated suicide in April.

Dokic recounted on Instagram a moment when she was standing on a 26th-floor balcony and almost "took my own life." She said she was dealing with "such a vicious cycle in my head" at the time:

"Constant feelings of sadness and pain are just not going away and my life has been shattered. I blame myself, I don’t think I am worthy of loving and I am scared. I also know that I still have so many things to be grateful for and then I start to hate myself because by feeling this way I feel like I am not grateful because I mustn’t be since I want to end it all."

The 39-year-old added she "just wanted the pain and the suffering to stop."

Dokic said she wanted to make her story known in order to help others and that seeking professional guidance "saved my life."

"I am not going to say that I am doing great now but I am definitely on the road to recovery," she said. "Some days are better than others and sometimes I take a step forward and then a step back but I’m fighting and I believe I can get through this."

Dokic's last WTA event was the Family Circle Cup in April 2012, and her last victory came in the 2011 Malaysia Open.

The Australian reached as high as No. 4 in the WTA rankings, climbing into the top five partially on the strength of her quarterfinal run at the 2002 French Open.