Murray dream of SW19 finale left in peril by ankle damage

ANDY MURRAY’S dreams of a Wimbledon swansong were hanging by a thread last night after he revealed he will be out for ‘an extended period of time’ with ankle ligament damage.

Although, with typical determination, the Scot vowed: ‘I’ll be back with one hip and no ankle ligaments.’ Murray suffered the injury during defeat to Tomas Machac on Sunday at the Miami Open. He was able to complete the match but last night withdrew from the doubles and later posted on Instagram, saying: ‘Towards the end of my match, I suffered a full rupture of my AFTL and near full-thickness rupture of my CFL. I will see an ankle specialist when I return home to determine next steps. ‘Goes without saying this is a tough one to take and I’ll be out for an extended period. But I’ll be back with 1 hip and no ankle ligaments when the time is right.’

Murray lost a marathon encounter to the Czech player 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) but hurt his ankle during the 10th game of the final set. The three-time Grand Slam champion initially dropped to the floor in pain before he picked himself up and continued.

The 36-year-old, who has effectively confirmed this will be his last year on tour, later said he was ‘looking forward to the end now’ after bowing out in Miami.

‘I wasn’t thinking about all the matches I played,’ said Murray. ‘More that that’s the last match I am going to play here, which is sad because I love it here. I’ve spent so much of my career here and I would have liked it to go on a little bit longer. This tournament is an important one for me so it was a bit more emotional leaving the court.

‘I am looking forward to the end now, give my best the next few months and get to be at home with my family.’