A taste of farewell (or at least, the beginning of a goodbye) was Andy Murray
's time
at the
Miami Masters 1000
.
The Scot, 36 years old and 62nd in the ranking, was eliminated from the Florida competition in the third round, after falling in a hard-fought match of almost three and a half hours against
Tomas Machac
and, although less than a month ago he had said that he would not speak more of his retirement until he had made the definitive decision to hang up his racket, he once again hinted that this will be his last season.
And the confirmation of the very severe injury he suffered in the duel with the Czech - tear in the anterior talofibular ligament of the left ankle and almost complete tear of the calcaneofibular ligament - suggests that tennis will say goodbye in 2024 to another of those
Fantastic Four
who marked an era
Murray - who was number one and won three Grand Slams and two Olympic golds at the height of
Roger Federer
,
Rafael
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 days due to a problem in his right hip that did not allow him to even walk without pain.
But he went under the knife and came back in good shape, with a titanium hip.
He won titles again (one in doubles and another in singles, both 250), played at a high level and regained ground in the ranking (from being outside the top 800 he reached 36th place), but the physical problems did not stop him. They let him compete continuously at his best level or achieve resounding results in the most important events.
In Miami, for example, he ended a seven-month negative streak without winning two consecutive games.
He had last done it in August in
Toronto
, where he beat Sonego and Purcell, before pulling out of his match with
Jannik Sinner
due to an abdominal problem.
In the Florida event, he debuted with a good victory against
Matteo Berrettini
and then defeated
Tomás Etcheverry
.
And he put up a fight against Machac before twisting his ankle in the third set, with the score tied 5-5.
Still, with torn ligaments (although without knowing it), he completed the match, which the Czech ended up winning 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 was thinking that this is the last match I'm going to play here, which is sad because I love this competition. I would have liked it to last a little longer. Miami has been my tennis home. I spent a large part of my career here. I did great part of my work, training and preparation. I love the city. This tournament is very important to me, so it was a little more emotional leaving the court today than it could be in other events," he said in statements reported by the newspaper English
Mirror
.
See this post on Instagram
A post shared by Andy Murray (@andymurray)
The Scot, winner of the 2012
US Open
and 2013 and 2016
Wimbledon
, left with good feelings in terms of tennis.
"It was quite positive, there were some good signs in my game, definitely an improvement in the last few tournaments. Not perfect, but considering everything I did to win matches and to push Thomas, I am proud of myself. It is extremely difficult to do what I'm doing. Being able to continue competing with these guys is a credit to myself and to the work I've done 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 does not want to talk much about - and about which he has been asked at every conference for years - could become a reality this year.
"Now I'm looking forward to the end, giving my best in the coming months and being able to go home with my family," confessed the
London 2012
and
Rio 2016
Olympic champion .
Andy Murray sprained his ankle just as he tied the match against Machac (it was 2-5 in the third).pic.twitter.com/A6yfTKtzyZ
— Set Tennis (@settenisok) March 24, 2024
When those words were still in the air, Murray told on his social networks how hard the injury he had suffered in Miami was.
"Yesterday, towards the end of my match, I suffered a complete tear of my ATFL and almost a complete tear of my CFL. I will see an ankle specialist when I return home to determine next steps. Needless to say, this is a blow difficult to receive and I will be away for a long period," he wrote on his
account .
He closed with a message full of hope and a touch of humor: "I will return with a hip and no ligaments in my ankle when the time is right."
But even with that statement she was not able to dispel the feeling that - most likely - this injury will end up bringing the end forward.
Especially since he himself had warned a month ago, after losing in the round of 16 in Dubai, that he did not imagine playing beyond the European summer (has he been planning a goodbye at Wimbledon or at the
Paris Olympics
?).
With a long recovery ahead, perhaps tennis has seen the last blows of one of the most combative players in 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 fully rehabilitate his right knee, which had started to bother him at the beginning of 2020, and brought the curtain down on his career at the
Laver Cup
2022, playing an unforgettable doubles with Nadal and with Murray and Djokovic also as teammates.
Pure drama 🔥
Tomas Machac outlasts Andy Murray in a #MiamiOpen epic to reach the round of 16 at a Masters 1000 for the first time.
pic.twitter.com/a8DbFMXiTd
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 24, 2024
Roger
paved the way, which at least two of those four extraordinary players seem close to following.
Rafa
, 37 years old and who has been struggling with different injuries for a couple of seasons, hinted several times (without ever confirming it) that 2024 will be his last year on the circuit.
And now Andy, tired of the physical pain, also began seriously flirting with the idea of "retiring."
The Scot still has magic in his racket, passion for tennis and fighting spirit (and experience in being reborn 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 sentenced his fate.
Will this really be the end for him?