It was impossible to walk out of the Jodie Burrage press conference on Day 2 without a smile. The 25-year-old Brit had just opened up about the long, tough journey of coming back from injury, and admitting retirement was close.
But rewind a couple of hours, and Burrage was out on Court 13 taking on French qualifier Leolia Jeanjean, having dominated most of the stats.
Winners: 23-13
First serve win %: 81-63
First serve average speed: 168kmh/155kmh
Total points won: 58-44
All those stats are meaningless without the final scoreline; it read 6-2 6-4.
But even scorelines are meaningless without health, and Burrage knows all too well just how quickly a career can derail due to injury.
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Going back further to February 2024, Burrage had reached a career-high rank of No.84, off the back of a quarter-final at the Linz 500 event. She was now looking at direct entries into Grand Slams, and bigger opportunities were opening up for her.
That all changed though, after she snapped a tendon in her wrist during her first practice the following week in San Diego. She was initially told it was likely a 10-day injury, and she’d be ok for Indian Wells.
That wasn’t the case. Surgery was imminent.
"I remember when I went in for the wrist surgery, he was listing off all of the things that could go wrong because obviously he has to. I'm like, 'You didn't say this to me when I made this decision to get surgery'".
Compounding that injury, a torn ankle ligament during practice in April, just as she was about to return to the court, set her back for close to three months. Although thankfully, her ankle didn’t require another surgery, it was a cruel blow for a player reaching the pinnacle of her career.
Burrage returned to competitive play in September, entering qualifying for the Monastir 250 event. She defeated an opponent without a ranking, before losing to Antonia Ružić, then ranked No.173. Not exactly an auspicious comeback.
She then dropped down to the ITF Tour to play a couple of events, although now admitting she shouldn’t have, and will have to listen to her body more closely.
"I actually tore my ab slightly when I came back from this injury, and they didn't want me to go play Shrewsbury where I played. I was basically hitting kick serves there, which I shouldn't have done, but I'm going to have to listen to my body," Burrage said.
It was around this time, that Burrage genuinely considered giving the sport away during a training block at the National Tennis Centre in London.
"I was basically crying mid-session saying I don't know how much more fight I've got," she conceded. "I fought so hard to get back to a position where I could even play the sport, and then I was winning matches, those ITF events, making semis and stuff, but it's not where I wanted to be and wasn't happy with how I was playing. I didn't know how much more fight I had."
So why did she keep fighting?
"I love this sport. For some reason, I love this crazy sport," she said.
It’s a good thing she stuck with it, because only a week later she made the final of a W75 in Slovakia, followed up by the biggest win of her career, the W100 in Dubai to finish the year.
Burrage didn’t waste any time starting season 2025, beginning in Auckland, winning three matches before entering Adelaide qualifying, pushing World No.31 Leylah Fernandez close.
But it’s being back at Slams that makes her feel happiest, despite being extremely nervous for her first-round match.
"Being back here, practicing with the people that you get to practice with, being at these sorts of environments, this is where you want to be," she explained.
Part of those nerves came from drawing a player ranked lower down in the rankings (Jeanjean is currently ranked 149).
"I knew it was a good opportunity draw-wise, and I mean, everyone let me know that it was a good opportunity draw-wise. I think I sent some messages to my uncle saying, 'Still got to win the match,'" she said.
"So I think there was a bit of pressure, and I had it before at a Slam. I can't remember which one it was, and I had lost. I remember the same sort of feelings, so I didn't want that to happen today. That's what you get playing these tournaments, the experience of everything.
"It could have gone either way, and in the past, Jodie might have let the pressure get to her, might have let the occasion get to her, but that's where I have come miles, as well."
This time though, the pressure valve was released, and she could afford to soak up the win.
"I got a little bit emotional at the end. There was a lot of hard work that went into today. Very, very happy with the win and very happy with how I played."
Burrage knows she may have to adapt her schedule, or her practice, to ensure her body can withstand the rigors of a full year. However, she also knows that isn’t going to be easy, due to her mindset.
"I do think I'm going to have to take it into account, and I'm not good at doing that. If I can step on the court, I will play," she confirmed.
"Right now I've got six months of no points, and it's trying to make the most of that really. So I am going to be playing a lot."
Next up for Burrage will be one of the biggest challenges in women’s tennis — Coco Gauff.
"To be honest, I kind of know what I want to do. I learnt a lot from my last match. It's just about execution, if I can do it. But I just want to go out there and enjoy [it], put her under pressure."
Taking on one of the world’s best players, on one of the biggest courts in tennis, is a far cry from where Burrage was just two months ago.
Yet she’s feeling confident, and at the same time, lucky, because she knows where she’s been, and how far she’s come.
"Last year I didn't think I'd be playing these kinds of matches again. I'm just going to relish the moment and see what happens."
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