03 July 2023 , 21:41
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Jodie Burrage revealed how close she came to quitting tennis after overcoming insult and injury to lead the charge of the Wimbledon Brits.
The battling Londoner beat American Caty McNally in straight sets and then fought back tears as she described her journey back from the brink.
“I've dealt with a lot throughout my career,” she said, shaking with emotion following a 6-1 6-4 win over an opponent ranked 67 in the world which catapults her into the top-100 for the first time. A lot of people telling me I couldn't get to the top and wouldn't be a player when I was younger.
“It hasn’t been easy. Three ankle surgeries, fractured knee, stress fracture arm, stress fracture rib, I could keep going and going.
“It’s been my biggest battle and after my third ankle operation my mind decided that was it. My tennis career was done.
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“But somehow I got back on the horse with help from family and friends, and my boyfriend (Scotland rugby star Ben White) really helped me push through that not-so-nice time.”
On top of injury came the insults and even death threats on social media following a defeat she suffered in France last year.
Then White found himself made redundant when Premiership club London Irish went bust last month. One of Britain’s best players suddenly out of a job.
He has since been signed by Toulon but at the time It hit them both so hard that neither could have predicted the 24-year old wowing Wimbledon the way she did to set up a second round clash with world No.10 Daria Kasatkina.
Burrage and Toulon-bound boyfriend Ben White (INSTAGRAM@https://www.instagram.com/jodie_burrage/?hl=en)Burrage even had to deal with the shock of finding blood on the tennis balls before sealing a win to set alongside victories for compatriots Liam Broady and Jan Choinski.
For a moment it took her straight back to last year when she rushed to help a ball boy who was on the brink of fainting during her match and brought him round with Percy Pig sweets.
“I thought it was Caty actually who had cut herself, because she had the trainer on, but it wasn’t,” she said. “It was another ball kid who had cut their finger, and there was blood on the balls. I was thinking, Why does this always happen when I'm playing?
“It actually helped me relax a little bit, take a step back from the tennis. When someone's health isn't where it needs to be, tennis isn't the main priority.”
Burrage duly raced to the first set in 22 minutes, showing the poise and shot making that took her to her first WTA final in Nottingham last month.
Jodie Burrage celebrates victory in her first round match (Dave Shopland/REX/Shutterstock)It was not until the final game of the match that the magnitude of what she was doing finally registered, with five match points going begging.
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At the sixth time of asking she sealed the deal, sending a winner across McNally before covering her face with her hands as her glory moment sunk in.
It was a lone ray of joy for Britain’s women with Harriet Dart and Katy Swan falling at the first hurdle.
Dart cursed her “worst match of the season” as she crashed 6-7 (4-7) 6-0 6-4 to France's Diane Parry.
Swan did not manage a set as she lost 7-5 6-2 to Swiss 14th seed Belinda Bencic.