Injured Andy Murray facing race to make Wimbledon after suffering ankle ligament rupture in Miami
Andy Murray’s faces a race to be fit for Wimbledon after the Scot revealed he has suffered a serious ankle injury while playing at the Miami Open and will be sidelined for an “extended period”.
Murray hurt his ankle deep into the final set during Sunday night’s match against Tomas Machac in the third round of the tournament before going to lose in a final-set tie-break. The 36-year-old has now discovered the severity of the injury, breaking the news on social media that he has ruptured his anterior talo-fibular ligament (ATFL) and his has a near-full rupture of his calcaneofibular ligament (CFL).
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Hide AdPosting on Instagram late on Monday evening, Murray wrote: “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.”
Murray has plans to retire from tennis in the summer and was expected to play the clay court swing and French Open at Roland Garros before moving on to the grass court season in June and July, culminating in Wimbledon. He had also expressed a desire to have one more shot at the Olympics, which are held in Paris at the start of August. The final Slam of the year, the US Open, takes place in September.
However, his latest injury all but ends Murray’s hopes of playing on the red dirt and will hamper his preparations for Wimbledon. The French Open begins on May 20 and it is likely the Scot will prioritise SW19 at the start of the July, where he is a former two-time champion. While Murray has not put a timescale on his return, an ATFL tear normally takes at least two months to fully heal, although often longer. He will visit an ankle specialist when he returns home to the UK from Florida later this week.