Three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray will not be going under the knife to treat the ankle injury he picked up at the Miami Open last month.
The former British and world number one was eliminated from the Masters tournament with a three-set loss to Tomas Machac in the third round, where he awkwardly jarred his ankle in the closing stages.
Murray had just levelled the final set at 5-5 as he suffered his injury, which led to him hobbling to the side of the court in front of the concerned Florida crowd, but he managed to soldier on after a medical time-out.
Murray was not rewarded for his courageous decision to continue as Machac prevailed, and it subsequently emerged that the two-time Wimbledon champion had suffered severe ligament ruptures during his Miami Open exit.
As well as full tear of his ATFL (anterior talo-fibular ligament), Murray revealed that he had also sustained a near-full thickness rupture to his CFL (calcaneofibular ligament) and would be out for an extended period after seeing a specialist.
There were fears that Murray would require an operation to treat his latest setback, which could have prolonged his recuperation period and scuppered his chances of a Wimbledon or Olympics swansong.
From JOY to PAIN as Andy Murray rolls his ankle after making it 5-5 in the third set 😯 pic.twitter.com/HqX86e4Ghv
— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) March 24, 2024
However, a spokesperson for the Briton has confirmed that he will not be needing surgery and is working to return to action as soon as possible, but there is still no timeframe on his comeback.
"Latest update from Andy is that he is now out of the walking boot and will not be having surgery on his ankle," Murray's spokesperson said. "His rehab is going well and he is hoping to start hitting again on court soon. As yet he doesn't have a date yet for returning to competition."
As Murray speeds up his rehabilitation, the 36-year-old will certainly sit out the next ATP 1000 tournament in Madrid, which begins later this month, as well as the Italian Open in the first two weeks of May.
The French Open - where Murray lost to Novak Djokovic in four sets during the 2016 final - begins on May 27, but the 36-year-old is seemingly fighting a losing battle to recover in time for the clay Grand Slam.
It also remains to be seen whether Murray can participate in Wimbledon, which commences on the first day of July, before the Olympics - where the Briton is a two-time gold medallist - start on the 26th.
Ben Knapton
