AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 15, 2025

Jodie Burrage

Press Conference

C. GAUFF/J. Burrage

6-3, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Jodie, tough but competitive match out there. How are you feeling after that?

JODIE BURRAGE: Quite tired, actually. Yeah, obviously disappointed with the result, but very happy with how I managed to get myself back in that match from a bit of a rocky start.

Yeah, I mean, from where I was and what I wanted to take into today, I tried to do that as best as possible. I thought my attitude was, yeah, good on the court, and I brought exactly what I wanted to. So happy with that.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How much confidence can you take from the ability that your game stacked up so well against somebody who has been, you know, pretty much unbeatable for the last couple of months?

JODIE BURRAGE: Yeah, I mean, I thought it was on my racquet today, and that's something I can take a lot of confidence in. I ended up serving for that second set and played a horrible game, but sometimes that's the way it goes.

Yeah, I'm going to take a lot of confidence from the fact that she's No. 3 in the world. I felt like I didn't have a great start, and it was still on my racquet. Then got myself back into it. The game that she broke me, I gave it to her a little bit with those volleys.

But, yeah, just like you said, I'm there with her, and I felt like I was in that. I'm just starting back from, you know, my injury layoff, so I think it's really positive.

I've got to see it like that because, yeah, if you had said this to me three, four months ago, I would have taken it for sure, both hands.

Yeah, a lot of things that I could have improved, but also a lot of, yeah, confidence taken from it.

Q. How did you feel in the second set when you had it going seven consecutive points, a couple of breakpoints, a couple of forehands? Did you feel like you were in the zone?

JODIE BURRAGE: Yeah, yeah, I was. I think I played myself into that match. I think it was always going to take that a little bit playing on that court. It's different surroundings. It's so big, and that just makes the court look so small.

That's where for someone like me, I don't get to play on those courts every single day. I don't get to train on them. We can't really access them unless you're playing with someone like Coco. It did take me a while to get into it.

Yeah, I found my rhythm at some point. Yeah, it was just playing the ball instead of the person. That's what I was trying to think about, and that's what I've got to keep doing going forward, yeah.

Q. Do you always take body shots against Grand Slam champions?

JODIE BURRAGE: I really did not mean to hit her (laughing). I was looking at that smash and I was thinking, Jodie, just hit this in the court, in the court. I had no idea where I was hitting it. A bit of a crazy point, that one.

But, yeah, no, there was nothing against her at all (laughing).

Q. You said before about how Coco is like an intimidating presence. I was thinking about that when we saw the shots of you guys in the tunnel waiting to come out. Obviously it's a bit funny. She's still a kid really, but what do you think it is that gives her that kind of aura, and did it take you a bit of time to get over that?

JODIE BURRAGE: I don't think so because I've, obviously, played her before. Maybe last time I played her that would have been true. But, yeah, she just carries the weight of a champion. She's a Grand Slam champion at such a young age. You obviously forget how young she is.

I mean, it didn't go through my mind at all, yeah, when I was playing her about how young she is. I was just playing the person down the other end of the net. She's got such a good reputation with people and obviously as a tennis player. She's such a good tennis player.

But, yeah, I think it just took me a while to get into the match and, like I said, get used to my surroundings and the court, which obviously the more that I play those matches, the less that that is going to be an issue. That's just what I've got to strive for.

So, yeah, I'm glad that I did get into the match because that very easily could have gone the other way and has done for me before, so again, yeah, just taking positives from that.

Q. Were you surprised that you were going toe to toe with her? Did you sort of catch yourself at any point and think, Oh, this is good?

JODIE BURRAGE: Not really. I was so in the moment and quite pumped up that I was just on repeat, repeat, repeat.

Yeah, the game I played serving for it, I had given everything to try and break her that I kind of just said, Okay, I've broken her. Kind of relaxed a little bit. As soon as you do that against a player like her, yeah, well, you saw what happened. Yeah, it didn't go well for me.

But, like I said, yeah, confidence. You know, I really felt like I should have taken that second. I feel like it would have been interesting to see a third set to see if I could it carry that on. But, yeah, this is the level that I want to be playing, and this is the level that I think I can be playing.

Yeah, it's the start of the year. We are three weeks in, and I feel like I'm in a good spot. So as long as I can stay on the court, I'm, yeah, excited to see what this year brings.

Q. How are you going to play it then in terms of protected ranking, and what sort of tournaments are you going to try and use that in?

JODIE BURRAGE: So I'm using it for Linz, the 500. I did well last year. Hopefully I'm going to try and do the same again. I'm also two out of Cluj with it. Hopefully I get into the main draw of that.

Then it's kind of just depending on the lists, to be honest. Kind of waiting to see what the Doha list is like, and then I'm going to use it for Indian Wells, Miami, and then maybe French, probably.

It kind of depends because like in Adelaide I got it back. I used it to obviously enter the tournament, but because it dropped, I got that one back. So that might happen with a few of the other events . So it kind of depends on that a little bit.

But I feel like I'm playing really good tennis, so I'm just thinking, why not? Why not go for the big ones? Why not try and get the big points and keep this momentum going?

Q. This might be an impossible comparison to ask, but if you can think back to when you played her the other time at Eastbourne, I believe, could you notice any difference in her? Did you notice any difference in her forehand or her serve today from the other time?

JODIE BURRAGE: I think I was very different. I couldn't deal -- my forehand couldn't deal with anything from her at all. You know, since I've played her last time, she's won, you know, slams, end-of-year finals. She's a very different player.

I knew that when I played her before that she was going to win one, but yeah, I can't really remember much of that match, to be honest. It was over in, like, 45 minutes (laughing). It wasn't very long.

But, yeah, she's been playing some really great stuff. I watched a few of her matches recently last night, and she has come on as a player. Yeah, her forehand, you know, didn't really break down. I had to hit winners. Yeah, I just couldn't do it enough today, but yeah.

Q. If I could just follow up real quick, when you did play her the other time, you say you could tell. What stood out that day?

JODIE BURRAGE: She's such a good athlete, and that proved today. It's why she won that match today. She made so many balls, made me play so many balls. Not just short ones. Like, they were coming back deep. Off my serve, I wasn't getting as many free points off my serve.

I felt that before when I played her. I was more consistent, way more consistent, than last time and had a lot more belief than last time.

But, yeah, grass is my best surface, and I lost Love and 2. So even though I didn't think I played amazing during that match I played with her last time, she had to do something right to also beat me Love and 2 because I was playing well that week in Eastbourne. So, yeah, I knew she had level, and she just carries herself so well on court. She's really confident.

It's admirable really. In a lot of those big players as well, that's what I've learned, you have to have confidence. So, yeah, I will learn that from her and try and implement it in my game.

Q. You have kind of hinted at it, but what do you take from this whole experience of coming back to a slam for the first time in a year, winning a round, pushing a top player. It's been a lot, right?

JODIE BURRAGE: I'm very happy (smiling). I will take the highs and the lows of this sport, but I'm not done with it yet. I feel like I'm only just getting started, and I'm very, very excited to see what this year brings.

I've just got to keep working hard and then that showed in my level the last few weeks. Really understanding the work that I put in and what I have to do, that's what I have taken from these last few weeks.

Again, learning from being around these big players as well, seeing them in the gym, on the practice court. But, yeah, I'm just very, very happy with how I've handled myself, my emotions and, you know, the level that I've managed to put out on the court so early in my return from my injury.

But, yeah, excited to improve. There's still a lot to improve, but yeah, to see what this year brings.

Q. Do you have to be a little bit careful not to get too excited and start playing too much?

JODIE BURRAGE: Yeah (smiling). Yeah, probably. I mean, like I just said about my schedule, I mean, it's literally Linz, Cluj, maybe Doha, maybe Dubai, Austin, Indian Wells, Miami. That's just two months.

But that's where I'll speak to the people helping me back home, and we'll get a good plan in place. Only a problem if you are winning matches, so I'll look at it like that.