Andy Murray out for long spell with ankle injury

Andy Murray will be sidelined for an “extended period” after suffering a severe ankle injury during his exit from the Miami Open, he announced on Monday.

The 36-year-old Briton made his last appearance at the Miami Open on Sunday, losing 5-7 7-5 7-6(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.

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“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.”

Murray, a former world number one and three-times Grand Slam winner, has previously said he does not plan to “play much past this summer” but hoped to compete at another Olympics.

Wimbledon, where he has twice been champion, begins on July 1, and the Paris Games get underway on July 24.

“I will see an ankle specialist when I return home to determine the next steps,” Murray added. “But I’ll be back with one hip and no ankle ligaments when the time is right.”