THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 28, 2021

Jodie Burrage

Press Conference

L. DAVIS/J. Burrage

6-2, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How would you assess that match? Could you reflect on your first Wimbledon experience.

JODIE BURRAGE: I've got emotions right now on the match, about the experience. Obviously I have been looking forward to this for a long time, and I actually feel like that's why what happened today in the match happened, and to be honest, I'm pretty disappointed in myself with that performance.

Yeah, I mean, I gave it my all. I tried to work things out there. It just didn't happen. Yeah, I'm going to speak to my coaches in further detail later, but I'm really happy to be here at Wimbledon, and I feel grateful for the people who gave me this opportunity. I'm disappointed that I couldn't show people what I could do on the court.

I have had a good three weeks running -- I haven't won the matches, but I have been playing some good tennis. Yeah, I'm a bit disappointed in myself at what happened today.

Q. If you could do anything differently as regards whether out on the court or preparation or anything, what would you do, or are you happy with the way that you prepared and went into the match? If you could replay anything, would you do anything differently?

JODIE BURRAGE: Yeah, my preparation the past week, the past three weeks, I mean, 30 minutes before the match, I wouldn't have changed anything. I think I did everything right.

Obviously we were waiting a long time with the rain delay. I think maybe just underestimated how nervous I was a little bit. I knew I was a little bit nervous. I mean, obviously the first match at Wimbledon, first main-draw slam, it's, yeah, new territory for me.

But I don't feel like I would have changed anything. Now, on the court is a different animal. I would have changed a lot of things on the court. Just starting with thinking a little bit clearer.

I got off to a good start. Actually broke her first game, and then, yeah, just didn't realize, yeah, how nervous I was and I let the situation, yeah, come over me. Yeah, didn't handle it the best.

Q. I just wanted to ask a little bit more about the rain delay. Obviously you talked about how nervous you were. Did that play a part in it? How proud are you from being from the local area, being out there in the main draw. Obviously it wasn't the result that you wanted.

JODIE BURRAGE: Yeah, I mean, the rain delay was tough, but looking at the weather the last few days, I always knew that if I played Monday, Tuesday, whatever, the rain was always going to play a part in the match.

I even prepared for it. I bought extra kits just in case we came off, like, to get changed. Again, I did prepare for it. We were waiting out there for a long time, yeah, maybe four-and-a-half hours maybe. But it was the same for her, as well.

Yeah, if that played a part in how today went, yeah, I just need to obviously deal with that a bit better, as well. But in the same breath, I am proud that I'm here. It's been a difficult road to get here for me, and it's kind of been a long time coming.

I guess I have been waiting for this for the last three years. Last grass season I played I played one match and ended up having an ankle operation after it, and it was a pretty, yeah, tough time for me after that. Honestly, I didn't think I'd be back playing again and make it here.

So as disappointed as I am with myself, I'm proud that I have made it this far, but it's just today's result and what's happened in today's match is going to motivate me even more just to work even harder and to change a lot of things that I have been doing and get better and come back hopefully next year or if it's the year after or however long it takes and get back and have a better game than I did today.

Q. You mentioned there that you were looking to change some things going forward to help you get back here as soon as possible. What are some of those things that you're looking at?

JODIE BURRAGE: I think a big side for me is the physicality. I have made some strides in the last year, and especially over the lockdown. Yeah, obviously I felt better when I came out of lockdown than I do now.

In the last three weeks, I have changed my training a little bit. Added a lot more running in, because that's what I was doing in lockdown. I felt great when I came back playing those matches in Britain and when I first went away and stuff and I got the results that I wanted there.

So that's what I have taken actually after the first week of grass, and the last three or four weeks I have really been pushing that on the side. I have already started to change that part, and that for me is going to make a massive difference. I know it will.

But it's also going to take time. We had two-and-a-half months in lockdown doing nothing, and I used it well. I was training twice a day. It was different training, obviously. I couldn't get on court, so it was a lot more physical work, but I think I have realized that I need to do that more often as well as the tennis, and probably prioritize that a little bit, because when my head's there and I'm just hitting the ball, my game, I feel, can be up there with the best.

I mean, last week, Mladenovic, won the first set 6-1, the same with the two matches before, when I come out and I'm fresh, and I'm just playing my tennis the way I want to play, I can play at that level and I took the first sets off those players pretty comfortably.

So, yeah, for me it's just being able to do that for longer, and I think the physical side. And also, when you do that physical, you get mentally tougher, as well.

So for me, that is one thing that I am going to change.

Q. Will it take you a while to sort of shake off this defeat, or who will you turn to in your team now?

JODIE BURRAGE: I mean, I will turn to everyone in my team. I have already spoken to my coach a little bit. I'm speaking to him again when I get back to the hotel.

Yeah, my friends, my family, my coaches that aren't here, my fitness coach, all of them, I have had messages from all of them saying, yes, it was very disappointing today but I should be very proud of the fact I've got here.

So I will be turning to all of them. Yeah, they will all have my back after today. I've got doubles here this week, and hopefully I can perform a little bit better in that than I did today.

I feel like I won't dwell on this, but I'll use it to drive me, yeah, to be better next time.

Q. I saw your boyfriend Ben White has just joined London Irish? Is that a big plus for you? He was at Leicester before. Now very close together in the local area. Do you think that will help things at home with your career as well?

JODIE BURRAGE: Yeah, I mean, things were good anyway. You know, like my life away from tennis, I've got a really good life and I'm privileged with how I have been brought up. Yeah, with having Ben the last two-and-a-half years and the whole of my family, yeah, it's been good.

Obviously I'm happy that he's moved to London Irish. I mean, it's going to make things a lot easier for me. There won't be any long trips up to Leicester anymore at the weekend.

Yeah, the happier I am off court, the better it is for me on court. Yeah, I definitely think it will be a plus, and I think it's a really good move for him as well.

Yeah, it will be nice that, yeah, we'll be, yeah, basically living together down here and I think for both of us it's a real positive.