Andy Murray tore an ankle ligament at the Miami Masters 1,000 and is at risk of retiring

The taste of goodbye (or at least the beginning of a goodbye) has taken its toll Andy Murray for him Miami Masters 1000. The Scot, 36 years old and 62nd in the rankings, was eliminated from the Florida competition in the third round, falling in a hard-fought match that lasted almost three and a half hours against Tomas Machac and, although less than a month ago he said that he would no longer talk about his retirement until he had made the final decision to hang up his racket, he hinted once again that this will be his last season. And the confirmation of the very serious injury suffered in the duel with the Czech – injury to the anterior peroneal-talar ligament of the left ankle and almost complete rupture of the peroneal-calcaneal ligament – suggests that tennis will say goodbye to another of those in 2024. Fantastic Four which marked an era.

Murray – who was number one and won three Grand Slams and two Olympic golds at the peak of Roger Federer, Raffaello Nadal AND Novak Djokovic– seems immersed for several seasons in a race against time and against his own body. In 2019 he was on the verge of ending his playing career due to a right hip problem that didn’t even allow him to walk without pain. But he had surgery and is back in good shape, with a titanium hip. He won more titles (one in doubles and another in singles, both 250), played at a high level and made up ground in the rankings (from outside the top 800 he reached 36th place), but physical problems did not stop him . They allow him to consistently compete at his best level or achieve amazing results in the most important events.

In Miami, for example, he ended a seven-month losing streak without winning two consecutive games. He had done it for the last time in August torontowhere he defeated Sonego and Purcell, before starting his crossbreeding with Jannik Sinner for an abdominal problem. In the Florida event he debuted with a nice win against Matteo Berrettini and then defeated Tomas Etcheverry. And he struggled against Machac before spraining his ankle in the third set, with the score at 5-5. However, with torn ligaments (albeit unknowingly), he completed the match, which the Czech won 5-7, 7-5 and 7-6 (7-5).

After the defeat, and still without knowing the severity of the injury, Murray commented that this had been his last performance in the tournament.

“I thought this will be the last match I play here, which is sad because I love this competition. I wish it would have lasted a little longer. Miami has been my home in tennis, I spent most of my career here. I’ve done a lot of my work, training and preparation. I love the city. This tournament is very important for me, so it was a little more emotional to leave the pitch today than at other events,” he said in statements reported by the English newspaper Mirror.

The Scotsman, winner of the US Open 2012 and Wimbledon In 2013 and 2016 it was the same with good sensations in terms of tennis.

“It’s been quite positive, there have been some good signs in my game, definitely an improvement in the last few tournaments. Not perfect, but considering everything I’ve done to win matches and push Thomas, I’m proud of myself. It’s extremely difficult doing what I’m doing. To be able to continue to compete with these guys is a credit to myself and the work I’ve put in and the effort I’ve put in to stay in this position,” he reflected.

However, he said goodbye with a phrase that made us think that this retreat that he doesn’t want to talk about much – and which he has been asked about at every conference for years – could become a reality this year.

“Now I can’t wait for the end to arrive, to give my best in the next few months and be able to return home with my family”, confessed the Olympic champion of London 2012 AND Rio 2016.

When those words were still in the air, Murray spoke on his social media about how tough the injury he suffered in Miami had been.

“Yesterday, towards the end of my game, I suffered a complete tear of my ATFL and almost complete tear of my CFL. I will see an ankle specialist when I get home to determine next steps. Needless to say, this is a tough blow to take and I will be gone for a long time,” he wrote on his Instagram account. instagram.

He closed with a message full of hope and a hint of humor: “I will come back with a hip and no ligaments in my ankle when the time is right.” But even with this statement he was unable to dispel the feeling that – most likely – this injury will end up hastening the end. Even more so since he himself, a month ago, after the defeat in the round of 16 in Dubai, had warned that he did not imagine playing beyond the European summer (he is planning to say goodbye to Wimbledon or the Paris Olympic Games?).

With a long recovery ahead, perhaps tennis has seen the last strokes of one of the most combative players of recent years. And perhaps Murray, as already happened with Federer, will end up saying goodbye far from the competition.

The Swiss, one of the best of all time, was never able to completely rehabilitate his right knee, which had started to bother him at the beginning of 2020, and the curtain fell on his career in Laver Cup 2022, playing an unforgettable doubles with Nadal and with Murray and Djokovic also as teammates.

Ruggero he paved the way that at least two of these four extraordinary players appear close to following. Rafa, 37 years old and struggling with various injuries for a couple of seasons, has hinted several times (without ever confirming it) that 2024 will be his last year on the circuit. And now even Andy, tired of the physical pain, has begun to seriously flirt with the idea of ​​”retirement”.

The Scotsman still has the magic in his racket, the passion for tennis and the fighting spirit (and experience in rising from the ashes), but the very hard blow he received in Miami, which will keep him away from the courts for a long time, could have doomed his destiny. Will this really be the end for him?