Andy Murray faces race to be fit for Wimbledon after rupturing ankle ligaments

Andy Murray will be out for an “extended period” after the 36-year-old confirmed he ruptured ankle ligaments in his defeat at the Miami Open, meaning he faces a race against time to be fit for his Wimbledon swansong this summer.

The former world No 1 says he will “determine next steps” after consulting an ankle specialist in the UK, but the severity of the injury could come as a huge blow ahead of this year’s All-England Championships.

The two-time Wimbledon champion had previously said that he does not expect to continue his career beyond the summer.

Murray, who turns 37 in May, twisted his left ankle towards the end of his marathon three-set defeat to Tomas Machac in third round of the Miami Open.

The Scot was able to finish the match after receiving treatment from a physio, but confirmed the extent of the injury in a post on Instagram on Monday – adding that he hopes to be back on court “when the time is right”.

“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 said.

“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 one hip and no ankle ligaments when the time is right.”

Murray admitted during February’s Dubai Open that he was entering the final few months of his career, although he refrained from announcing what he planned his final tournament to be.

After a disappointing start to the season and a string of early exits, Murray’s form improved after arriving in the United States and he secured back-to-back wins for the first time since August after beating Matteo Berrettini and then Tomas Martin Etcheverry in Miami.

But a lengthy lay-off could come as a cruel blow as Murray contemplates retirement, potentially denying the three-time grand slam champion a final appearance at Wimbledon.

This year’s Championships begin on 1 July, but a full rupture of his ankle ligaments could force Murray to be on the sidelines for months rather than weeks.

The clay-court season begins following this week’s Miami Open, although Murray may have skipped the French Open anyway – as he did last year – in order to focus on his Wimbledon preparations.

Murray has also said that he would like to play at the Paris Olympics in August, which will also be held on clay at Roland Garros, but the two-time gold medal winner added that he would only play if he felt he had a chance of winning a medal.