Andy Murray return date uncertain as ankle injury forces tournament withdrawals

Andy Murray has withdrawn from two upcoming tournaments with a return date uncertain following his ankle injury sustained at the Miami Open this week.

The three-time Grand Slam winner announced on Wednesday that he had suffered a full rupture of his anterior talofibular ligament and a near full thickness rupture of his calcaneofibular ligament during a dramatic third-round defeat by Tomas Machac in Florida last weekend.

Such a setback has left Murray in a race against time to be fit for Wimbledon - which begins on July 1 - and his final grasscourt season, having previously admitted that he is unlikely to play beyond the summer.

The former British No1 was expected to visit with a specialist upon his return to the UK, with his recovery initially estimated to take anywhere between six and 12 weeks.

Murray’s team have now confirmed that he will take no part in the Monte Carlo Masters in April or the BMW Open in Munich, with a time frame for his recovery and potential return to the court yet to be established as medical reviews continue.

"Following consultation with his team and medical experts, Andy Murray has taken the decision to miss the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters and BMW Open Munich,” a statement from Murray’s camp read on Friday.

"At this stage, it is still not clear how long Andy will be out of action, and he is continuing to review options with his medical team.

"Obviously this is very disappointing news for Andy and he has reiterated his desire to get back on court as soon as possible.

"He thanks all his fans for their kind messages of support and will continue to update everybody as the situation evolves."