‘It’s a good benchmark’ – Jodie Burrage takes plenty of positives from defeat to Coco Gauff in Eastbourne International

Jodie Burrage believes the experience of competing against one of the best players in the world will ultimately prove a positive one.

Burrage was up against world No.7 Coco Gauff on Centre Court at the Eastbourne International.

“It’s a good benchmark to have and good experience, and I’ve just got to work harder to make that closer,” said Burrage.

“She’s a top ten player and that’s what I expect from them when they’re playing well. I felt like I started okay. A lot of the games were actually quite close, so I don’t think the score really reflected what the match was like.

“It shows me what I have to do, and shows me how important the serve, pace of shot, footwork, every single point are. It’s a good experience to have as next time I’m in that match, I’ll be ready for it, and I’ll know in those moments that I need to be on it.”

Kingston player Burrage will next be in action at Wimbledon, where she has received both a singles wildcard, and a doubles wildcard alongside Woking’s Emily Appleton.

It will be a third straight year in the main draw for the 24-year-old, having played in both 2021 and 2022.

And she approaches action at the All England just a few weeks after the biggest result of her career, having reached the final of the Nottingham Open.

“Wimbledon is next, so I’ll get my mind ready for that next week.

“I’ve been coming back from injury and in my first week back I lost the first round in Surbiton. Then I had a complete u-turn and made my first WTA final in Nottingham, beating some great players on the way there.

“I feel really motivated to get back on the practice court and get better. I know where I need to get better, I know what I want to do.”