Coco Gauff's comment on Australian Open 2R opponent leaves fans confused

2025 Australian Open Previews - Source: Getty
Coco Gauff speaking at the press conference at the 2025 Australian Open [Image Source: Getty Images]

Coco Gauff's recent comments on her second-round Australian Open opponent left many tennis fans puzzled. Gauff will face Jodie Burrage in the second round of the Melbourne Major.

Gauff has had a stellar start to the 2025 season. She, along with Taylor Fritz, helped the United States defeat Poland in the final to win the 2025 United Cup.

The 20-year-old American is seeded third at the Grand Slam tournament and secured a convincing victory over compatriot Sofia Kenin in the first round. She defeated Kenin 6-3, 6-3 in just an hour and 20 minutes to advance to the second round, where she will face Jodie Burrage.

During the post-match press conference following her win over Kenin, Coco Gauff mentioned that she doesn't recall playing against Burrage on the tour, as she tends to forget opponents she has faced. However she later went on to acknowledge that she has indeed faced the Brit, once in her career.

“I didn't remember playing her [Jodie Burrage]. It was not nothing to her, I just barely remember who I play. I saw that I played her on grass and I know she was a little bit injured I think last year and I got confused. She had a pretty good 2023 season and then she got injured last year and I got confused with the years," Coco Gauff said [7:07].

Coco Gauff also admitted that she hasn't seen Jodie Burrage play recently but is aware that she is a tough opponent whom she must work hard against to get over the line and secure her spot in the third round.

“I haven't watched her play recently so I think that's something I have to like look on. Obviously I think, if you're here, you're a tough player and she's going to have nothing to lose against me but hopefully I can play some good tennis and be able to get through that," she added [7:36].

Tennis fans were left scratching their heads at Coco Gauff's comments about Jodie Burrage. Many took to social media to express their confusion and share their thoughts on the same.

One fan pointed out that Gauff's remarks about Burrage were perplexing, as she claimed the Brit played well in 2024, despite Burrage being sidelined due to injuries and finishing outside the top 150 in the world rankings.

“Coco said Jodie Burrage had a great season last year and beat good players but Jodie missed 7 months of 2024 due to injury and finished outside the top 175 😭 💀 ," a fan posted.

Several fans suggested that the World No. 3's comments were confusing because she seemed unfamiliar with Jodie Burrage.

“Man… She don’t know who that girl is," a fan wrote.
“A nicer way of saying: “who?”" a fan posted.

Here are some other fan reactions :

“This shows that Coco doesn’t lie when she said she doesn’t think about Tennis all the time because how can she forget they played once 😂 ," a fan wrote.
“Coco says that about every single opponent 😂 ," a fan posted.
“Just shows how so many of them have rote answers to any question. ‘Tough opponent.. blah blah.. play my own game etc etc,’" a fan wrote.

Coco Gauff head-to head record against Jodie Burrage ahead of Australian Open 2025 2R match

Coco Gauff at the 2025 Australian Open [Image Source: Getty Images]
Coco Gauff at the 2025 Australian Open [Image Source: Getty Images]

Coco Gauff and Jodie Burrage have only met once on the WTA tour, during the second round of the 2023 Rothesay International in Eastbourne, where the American emerged victorious 6-1, 6-1.

Burrage kicked off her 2025 season at the ASB Classic qualifiers. She then defeated Vivian Yang in the first round of the main draw before losing to Hailey Baptiste in the second round. She then participated in the Adelaide International but failed to qualify for the main draw after a loss to Leylah Fernandez in the qualifying round.

Jodie Burrage then secured a spot in the main draw of the 2025 Australian Open by using protected ranking. She defeated qualifier Leolia Jeanjean in the first round to set up a second-round clash with Gauff.

The winner of the Coco Gauff vs Jodie Burrage match will face either Cristina Bucsa or 30th seed Leylah Fernandez in the third round of the Melbourne Major.

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Edited by Sudeshna Banerjee
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