Andy Murray has withdrawn from the early stages of the European clay court season and he continues to weigh up his options as he faces a race against time to be fit for Wimbledon after tearing his ankle ligaments at the Miami Open last weekend.
In his final year on tour, Murray had seemingly planned to embark on his longest clay season since his hip problems began, competing at all the big venues one last time. He has now withdrawn from the Monte Carlo Masters, which begins in just over a week on 7 April and the Munich ATP 250 event, which starts on 15 April.
On Sunday, Murray suffered a full rupture of his anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) and he also tore his calcaneofibular ligament (CFL), both ankle ligaments, in his dramatic 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(5) loss to Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic in the third round of the Miami Open.
Murray had been playing his best tennis of an otherwise difficult season in Miami and after launching a late comeback from 2-5 down in the third set, the 36-year-old badly hurt his ankle right as he levelled the match at 5-5. Although he fought until the end without even bandaging his ankle, and he nearly won the match, he later announced the ligament tear.
After running tests in Miami immediately the following day, Murray consulted with experts on his return to the United Kingdom. Depending on the injury itself, a ruptured ATFL could potentially heal with rest or through keyhole surgery, which could see him out for several months. Murray is yet to decide on his next course of action and he said to be disappointed but determined to return to the court as soon as he can.
The occurrence of this injury, the most significant Murray has suffered since undergoing hip resurfacing surgery in January 2019, is particularly significant considering its timing. He has only recently publicly confirmed his plans to retire at the end of this summer, with the Briton intending to compete at Wimbledon one more time before his retirement.
Wimbledon is only three months away, and not only is his presence at the tournament now up in the air, but his planned retirement timeline is at risk. He will have to make significant decisions about his season in the coming days.