Andy Murray has announced he will be sidelined for "an extended period" due to an ankle ligament injury suffered on Sunday.
The 36-year-old had put together his best form of the season at the ongoing Miami Open, beating each of Matteo Berrettini and Tomas Etcheverry to reach the third round.
However, his campaign was brought to an end on Sunday evening as Tomas Machac edged the three-time major champion in a three-set thriller that concluded with a tie-break.
At that time, Murray was devastated to lose in the fashion that he did, fighting back from 5-2 down in the final set to lead 5-4 in a tie-break, only for Machac to play three faultless points to seal victory.
Nevertheless, the result itself has since proven insignificant from a playing perspective courtesy of the ankle injury that Murray sustained when hauling himself back into the contest.
Murray pulled up sharply when chasing down a ball at the net, an issue that required treatment before he was able to complete the contest without notable hindrance.
Twenty-four hours on from that defeat, though, the Scot has taken to Instagram to reveal that he faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a full rupture of his ATFL (anterior talo-fibular ligament) and near-full thickness rupture of his CFL (calcaneofibular ligament).
Wishing you a speedy recovery, @andy_murray — you've got this! 💪❤️ pic.twitter.com/SJAHJALsbc
— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 25, 2024
While a potential timeframe has not been revealed by Murray, he is now in line to miss the entire clay-court season as a bare minimum.
The obvious target will be on trying to ensure that he can make one final appearance at Wimbledon, a tournament that is due to start in just over three months' time on July 1.
Murray has also spoken of wanting to represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games in Paris, with the US Open also potentially on his agenda before hanging up his racquet.
Darren Plant
