MIAMI – Andy Murray announced on March 25 that he will be sidelined for an “extended period” after suffering a severe ankle injury during his exit from the Miami Open.
The 36-year-old Briton made his last-ever appearance at the tournament on March 24, losing 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) in the third round to Czech Tomas Machac.
With the score locked at 5-5 in the third set, Murray rolled his left ankle, dropped his racket and then covered his face, screaming in pain as he hopped to his seat grimacing.
“Yesterday towards the end of my match in Miami, I suffered a full rupture of my ATFL (anterior talofibular ligament) and near full thickness rupture of my CFL (calcaneofibular ligament),” he posted on Instagram.
“Goes without saying this is a tough one to take and I’ll be out for an extended period.”
The former world No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam winner, who will be 37 in May, has already indicated he will retire later in 2024 after battling back from hip surgery in 2019.
He had planned to play at the Olympics and Wimbledon before departing from the sport. Wimbledon, where he has twice been champion, begins on July 1 and the Paris Games start on July 26.
“I will see an ankle specialist when I return home to determine the next steps,” the world No. 62 Scot added. “But I’ll be back with one hip and no ankle ligaments when the time is right.”
His comments hinted that he will still be back at some point this season and is not considering retirement yet, even after this latest injury.
Meanwhile, top seed Carlos Alcaraz dominated Gael Monfils 6-2, 6-4 and fourth seed Alexander Zverev escaped a tight first set en route to a 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 win over Christopher Eubanks to reach the Miami Open last 16 on March 25.
Alcaraz is on a quest to capture the “Sunshine Double” after his triumph at Indian Wells and the 20-year-old was never really threatened in a match-up of two of the game’s most entertaining players.
“He’s a great athlete. He reaches almost every ball,” he said of the 37-year-old Frenchman Monfils. “At the same time, with my forehand, my best shot, I tried to move him around the court to get him tired a little bit.”
Alcaraz, who won the tournament in 2022, will next face Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, who beat Ben Shelton 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).
Zverev limited his unforced errors, converted his two break-point opportunities and saved four of the five break points he faced before closing out the contest with a forehand volley into the open court.
“It was a difficult match. I thought he was in control of it throughout the first set,” said the former Miami Open finalist.
“I was just hanging on and sometimes that is just what you need to do.”
Awaiting Zverev will be 15th seed Russian Karen Khachanov, who secured a 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5) win over Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo. REUTERS, AFP
