The Miami Open tournament director is hoping that Andy Murray can end his career on his own terms after picking up a serious injury. The Brit ruptured multiple ankle ligaments during his third-round defeat to Tomas Machac and will be out for an “extended period”. James Blake is now concerned that the issue could affect his upcoming retirement plans.
Murray previously announced his plans to stop playing professional tennis this summer. The three-time Major champion remains unclear on exactly when he will say goodbye – with a lot riding on his Olympic chances – but it seemed a guarantee that fans would see him compete at Wimbledon for the final time this year.
But those plans have now been thrown into doubt after he suffered a full rupture of his anterior talofibular ligament and near full thickness rupture of his calcaneofibular ligament after pulling up on his ankle towards the end of his match against Machac. Murray has yet to determine whether he will have surgery but has already pulled out of the clay tournaments in Monte Carlo and Munich.
With the future now unclear, the Miami Open boss shared his wish to see Murray retire on his own terms instead of letting a rolled ankle ruin everything. “I want to see him get back and end his career the way he wants to end his career,” Blake told Sky Sports.
“I hope it doesn’t end with a rolled ankle, I really want to see him back and I want to see him end his career however he sees fit.” The retired former world No. 4 also shared his admiration for Murray, admitting that the 36-year-old made him feel like he was slacking.
Blake continued: “Andy is one of my favourite people on tour, he definitely makes me feel like a slacker the fact that he’s still out there playing and competing. Watching the match, even when he got injured he still finished the match 7-6 in the third. You see how hard he competes and how much he loves the game.
“And he’s so thoughtful about his career and everything else so that’s why he’s one of my favourites. I tell people all the time, he’s not the surly guy you see on the court, he’s actually a genuinely nice human being, funny, easygoing.”
Blake also had a glowing review of Murray’s tennis IQ, explaining that he wanted to see more of what the former No. 1 could do in the twilight of his career. The 44-year-old added: “I think he’s one of the more skilled players I’ve ever seen. I still remember the first time I practised with him and he was still young.
“He didn’t quite have the bulk, he didn’t have weight of his shots but you could see how well he could defend, how well he cut off angles and how he used those hand skills and he put it all together throughout the middle of his career.
“Now you can see at the back-end of his career maybe using that, he’s got the power but he maybe doesn’t have the same legs that he had in the middle in his career. It’s fun to see how he adapts and how he uses his brain. He’s got one of the better tennis IQs I’ve ever seen. I want to see him back out there.”
