Andy Murray will be out for an “extended period” after rupturing his ankle ligaments during his Miami Open third-round defeat, an injury that could complicate his hopes of being fully fit and in form for one final Wimbledon before retiring at the end of the summer.
On Sunday, Murray suffered a dramatic 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (5) loss to Tomas Machac after 3 hours and 28 minutes. Murray had trailed 2-5 in the final set before hurting his ankle as he held serve for 5-5.
Although Murray initially looked in significant pain and shock, he opted to carry on without even taping the ankle. He very nearly won the match despite his hampered movement, eventually losing in a tight final set tie-break. Murray walked off the court unaided.
In a statement on Monday night, Murray explained that he has ruptured his anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) and his calcaneofibular ligament (CFL), both ankle injuries.
“Yesterday towards the end of my match in Miami I suffered a full rupture of my ATFL and near full thickness rupture of my CFL. I will see an ankle specialist when I return home to determine next steps. Goes without saying this is a tough one to take and I’ll be out for an extended period. But I’ll be back with 1 hip and no ankle ligaments when the time is right,” said Murray.
Recovery for a ruptured ATFL can take over six weeks, but the recovery time depends on the severity of the injury.
Over the past month, Murray has expressed his intention to retire from professional tennis at the end of the summer. He now faces a race to be fit for the beginning of his final grass court season, his favourite surface, which is due to begin on 10 June and concludes with Wimbledon, which starts on 1 July.
