THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 1, 2025

Jodie Burrage

Press Conference

C. MCNALLY/J. Burrage

6-3, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Jodie.

Q. What was your main reading of that game?

JODIE BURRAGE: Pretty average. It wasn't my best performance at all. You know, also, Caty played very well. Didn't give me much, you know, mistakes or anything, but I didn't really make her work for it how I wanted to today. So, yeah, quite disappointing.

Q. Do you think there's anything behind your level not being where you want it to be?

JODIE BURRAGE: Yeah, there is some reasons. Don't want to go into them in detail, but it just is what it is, and I couldn't do what I wanted to do today.

Yeah, it's just disappointing that that happened here.

Q. Obviously saw Sonay cheering for you from the balcony. I know you guys have a good friendship. Did you see her there? What was that like for you?

JODIE BURRAGE: Yeah, saw her, heard her, which was great. We support each other when we can, when we have time. It was nice to see her out there. Kind of wasted support today, but she tried her best to get me going. It just didn't work.

Q. We saw Ann. She said she was out there for pretty much the whole game.

JODIE BURRAGE: Yeah, she woke me up this morning, as well. We have a great relationship. I'll be doing the same with her tomorrow. I don't know if the schedule is out, actually, for dubs.

It's always nice to have people supporting you there. It's just tough when you don't get the result you want.

Q. After the injury issues you had last year, how are you feeling physically now?

JODIE BURRAGE: Yeah, not great, to be honest. On Friday, you know, I was feeling fine. Then it was actually here, I rolled my ankle at the bottom step of the media bit as you go out.

You know, doesn't feel amazing. You know, shook me a little bit. The prep wasn't ideal coming into the match today. I had to make some adjustments. Yeah, right now, obviously not feeling great, but my body has been fine since coming back.

I think that's why it's just disappointing that something happens like that at a tournament like this, but we did what we could today. You know, with how Caty played, I needed to make her play balls. You know, she made me play lots. I just couldn't do it.

So it's credit to her for making me do that. But yeah, there's not much to say. It's just disappointing.

Q. Was your ankle troubling you on court today?

JODIE BURRAGE: Yeah, yeah. It's nowhere near 100%. But, you know, I could get out there and play some sort of level. You know, my level today was shocking compared to how I've been playing the last few weeks. There's probably a few things going into that. Wanting to do well this week at Wimbledon because I missed it last year. Obviously what I just said about what happened on Friday.

I think, yeah, just everything. Sometimes you just have a bad day at the office, and sometimes your opponent has a very good one.

There's a part of me that's very happy for her because I know the injury struggles she's been through. We've been on a very similar path for the last, like, year with the surgeries, with coming back.

I had that positive achievement in Australia where I won my first round at the slam. It's not easy to do, and what we've both been through, I can completely relate to her with that. So there is part of me that's happy for someone to go through that and get the win like she did today. It's just tough that I'm on the losing side of that.

Q. Do you mind me asking about, there's some good news yesterday for Ben with his rugby. Do you mind me asking about that and your reaction to that?

JODIE BURRAGE: Yeah (smiling). No, obviously very, very happy for him. He got the call -- what day are we? I was going to sleep. Not yesterday, the day before. I had just spoken to him. Yeah, I was about to go to sleep, and he called me ten minutes later and kind of was just looking at me down the phone, like with a grin on his face (laughing). I was, just, like, Oh, my God, what?

I was very, very happy for him to get that call. Yeah, he'll do great. You know, he's already there. He went out to New Zealand with Scotland and has already hopped on a flight over to Brisbane. He's enjoying being with the Lions there.

So, yeah, very happy for him, and it will be a very fun six weeks for him ahead.

Q. Do you think you'll have a chance to get out to Australia to support him?

JODIE BURRAGE: It's a conversation I'm going to have to have with my team. Maybe considering ankle and stuff, I might be able to. Obviously Australia is a very easy place to find tennis courts and train, so that's one thing going for me. But, you know, I've got a swing ahead in the States that I will be preparing for.

I was always going to have a two, three-week -- or three-, four-week training block anyway because for me, I've been going for nine, ten months straight since I came back. I think that is coming into play a little bit.

It's just been constant. I've been playing so many tournaments. I've been going week after week after week, so I do need some time training. That was always the case anyway. So maybe that will be there.

That's just something that I kind of said when we found out the other day. Everybody was, like, Let's just deal with that after this week. We'll see.

Q. I wanted to ask you about something you've spoken about recently in terms of the abuse you've had online, and particularly, you say, from gamblers, I'm assuming, who bet on your games. I just wanted to ask, first off, how do you know that they're gamblers in particular? Is it things they say, or is it something you've been told? Also, why do you think women and female athletes in particular are subjected more often to this, really, abuse? Finally, do you think social media companies or gambling companies are doing enough, really, to help female athletes in that respect?

JODIE BURRAGE: On the last point, no. I think they could do more. I think I said it in an interview the other day. I think there should be way more accountability if you have an account on any platform. I think it's very simple to have someone's ID connected to their account, and that would, I think, quickly stop what people write and make them more accountable.

I mean, I'm just guessing that they're gamblers. Some of them say, Oh, you've lost me this amount of money or whatever. So, yeah, some of them are. I don't know. That's the only explanation I've got. Otherwise, they're just very bad people.

But, yes, it's tough. Yeah, today I'm trying not to look at my phone. You know, it's not easy to deal with, but I do think there could be more being done. I don't know if there is behind the scenes or anything, but yeah, that's out of my control. I can just deal with what we've got at the moment.

Q. Why do you think women in particular, because it does seem to be female athletes seem to get the worst of it, really, from...

JODIE BURRAGE: I don't know. Yeah, I don't know. I think half the stuff that I get, as well, is about body image. I think that's a very big topic for females for some reason compared to men.

So a lot of the abuse is about that, but I don't know why. I don't know what the difference is between men and women, but I can't comment on what the men get. I can just go off what I've received.

Yeah, it's just not okay, yeah.

Q. Obviously we spoke to you in Eastbourne about Wimbledon, and you said it's such a big occasion. Did you feel a lot of pressure going into the game today to perform? Obviously you were on a court with quite a few fans, as well.

JODIE BURRAGE: Pressure is probably the wrong word. I just wanted to do well. I think I've got past the point of feeling pressure at these events, and I can deal with that side of things.

I think I just wanted more from myself. I know the work that I've put in, and I felt like I deserved a better outcome than that. It wasn't ideal the last few days what happened. Actually, that probably took any pressure off.

But yeah, it's more just I think for myself I know that I can just play so much better than that. I know I've got more in me than that, but you know, there's a bit of pressure with -- pressure is the wrong word. I would say disappointment when you have everyone here watching you.

I have a lot of family members, friends. You know, it's disappointing when you -- yeah, when you can't play how you want to play, and you feel like you've let them down a bit, which is -- you speak to them (tearing up), and they will not say that at all. They'll tell me how proud they are of me and stuff.

It's probably that that hurts the most. I guess it's not pressure, but that's what comes along with these events.

But on the flip side, last time I played, I had a great time. It was nice to share that with them, but that's just the highs and lows.

Q. And your bracelet breaking.

JODIE BURRAGE: Yeah. At least it wasn't the expensive stuff, but yeah, that was tough (smiling). It just caught it wrong, but yeah.

Q. Is it salvageable?

JODIE BURRAGE: No, it's done. It's completely done. I've got another one at home, so you'll see that one in the next few days.