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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Matt Majendie

Jodie Burrage: Many people have told me that I couldn’t get to the top

A year ago, Jodie Burrage made a name for herself by giving some Percy Pig sweets to a sickly ball boy.

This year, she is into the second round for the first time and is poised to enter the world's top 100, having served with balls bloodied by a ball kid, who had cut a finger.

She was left asking herself in the aftermath, "why does this always happen when I'm playing?" after guaranteeing herself an £85,000 payday for reaching the second round with a 6-1, 6-4 win over American Caty McNally.

For a player who nearly gave up on tennis after three ankle surgeries and being written off by all and sundry, success has been a long time coming.

Sweet taste: Jodie Burrage revels in her momentous victory, a year after she was giving Percy Pigs to an unwell ball boy (Getty Images)

After a seismic day in her career, the 24-year-old said: "I've dealt with a lot of injuries throughout my career, and a lot of people telling me that I couldn't get to the top, wouldn't be a player when I was younger.

"After my third ankle operation, my mind had decided that was it. Somehow, I got back on the horse with help from family and friends, and my boyfriend really helped me push through that not-so-nice time.

"To sit here saying I've won my first round at Wimbledon, hopefully going to be in the top 100 in two weeks, not expecting that, but very happy that it's happened."

Burrage's household is no stranger to sporting adversity. Her boyfriend, the Scotland scrum-half Ben White, recently found himself jobless after London Irish folded but has since been snapped up by French side Toulon.

Of his plight, she said: "It's not been easy. His job, he didn't have one, the club going bust. It's just awful for everyone involved. It's really sad to see the club go under as well when you know so many people who aren't in good positions."

As for the Percy Pigs, they are no longer a mainstay for Burrage, banned from her tennis bag by her nutritionist.

But she admitted her mum had some in reserve should a celebration be required. The Percy Pig tie-up was such that M&S sent over Percy Pig to play tennis with Burrage at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.

She bizarrely ended up playing for two hours against a Percy-costumed player who was "better than I thought he was going to be".

In the immediate aftermath of yesterday's win, Burrage's greater concern was who was going to look after her dog Otto with her Wimbledon run ongoing.

And following her victory on Court 3, she has now set her sights on getting an opportunity to play on Centre or No1 when the draw is made for tomorrow's play later today.

"If I get put on one of those courts, I'd be very, very happy," she said. "I was stoked to play on Court 3. We'll see what the schedule holds. If it's a big court, I'll enjoy every minute of it."

Her first-round Wimbledon win over McNally was not a one-off on the grass, following on from reaching her first WTA Tour final in Nottingham last month.

In the live rankings, she is now inside the top 100, which will be confirmed should she win against No11 seed Daria Kasatkina in the next round.

"If I win the next match, then it's a done deal," said Burrage, who stands at No108 in the official rankings. "I won't be thinking about that when I'm on court. I'll have bigger things to worry about. It would be a pretty cool thing to say I'm in the top 100.”

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