Emma Raducanu sent a message to Andy Murray after the veteran’s latest injury setback.
Emma Raducanu is praying for Andy Murray after the two-time Wimbledon champion revealed that he will miss an “extended period” with an ankle injury. There are fears that Murray may bring forward his retirement plan with his hopes of appearing at Wimbledon this summer suffering a major setback.
The 36-year-old was beaten by Thomas Machac in the last-32 of the Miami Open on Sunday. He revealed that he suffered an ankle injury towards the end of the match – screaming in agony as he fell to the ground – and will now be absent for some time.
“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),” Murray wrote on Instagram.
“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.”
Murray, who had hip resurfacing surgery in 2019, ended the post by quipping: “I’ll be back with one hip and no ankle ligaments when the time is right.”
Fellow Briton Raducanu, who has struggled with her own injury problems over the last year, shared the social media post and added two praying emojis. The 21-year-old clearly hopes that Murray will return to the court soon and be fit to make his final appearance at Wimbledon.
Murray has previously admitted that he did not plan on playing “much past” this summer. He now knows that he has played his final game at the Miami Open, a tournament that he has won twice before in his career.
“I wasn’t thinking about all the matches I played. More that that’s the last match I am going to play here which is sad because I love it here,” a visibly emotional Murray said after his defeat against Machac.
“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.”
In a heart-wrenching admission, Murray added: “I am looking forward to the end now, give my best the next few months and get to be at home with my family.”
Murray will hope to be fit for a final appearance at Wimbledon, for which he still has three months to recover in time to play. The three-time Grand Slam champion will likely bow out soon after the tournament.
