Well, if there were tennis gods, they are certainly not shining down on Andy Murray.
The legendary Scotsman has been through it all over the last few years, from crushing defeats that have seen his place in the sport questioned, to numerous injuries which continue to prohibit his progress.
And this latest one, just as he seemed to be starting to get back into some kind of rhythm, comes at the worst possible time.
Deep into his three-set epic with Tomas Machac on Sunday, which eventually saw him dumped out of the Miami Open, he pulled up rather dramatically as he held his left ankle.
Although he would finish the match, he has since revealed the gut-wrenching news…
How did Andy Murray injure his ankle?
Taking to Instagram, the 36-year-old was frank and upfront about his latest ailment, which is set to leave him sidelined for some time.
He wrote: ‘Yesterday towards the end of my match in Miami I suffered a full rupture of my ATFL and near full thickness rupture of my CFL. 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 1 hip and no ankle ligaments when the time is right’.
A jovial end to an otherwise crushing post has become a staple of Murray’s communication, as he remains positive despite what must be such a huge setback both physically and mentally.
The injury occurred late in the third set, as the three-time Grand Slam champion served to restore parity after having been a breakdown for the bulk of it.
Having finally broken Machac back, he led 40-15 and rushed towards the net, anticipating a weak effort from his opponent. And whilst it merely dropped into the net, Murray’s sudden movement saw his left ankle roll.
His reaction was something the commentator at the time admitted he had never seen before, as he hopped, skipped and jumped towards the net, leaning on it for support before ending up in a heap at the foot of the chair umpire.
How long will Andy Murray be injured for?
Given the scale, of his injury, a rupture of his Anterior Talo-Fibular Ligament, it is miraculous that he managed to play on at all.
He truly is a physical marvel, and his comeback from this injury could now be equally as triumphant as his 2019 hip surgery.
Many have speculated just how long this might rule him out for, with one tennis blogger, Pavvy G, writing: ‘Really bad news for Murray, when he tumbled and rolled his ankle at 5-5 in the 3rd, the scan has diagnosed a full rupture of his AFTL. This is a bad injury and will unfortunately put him out of the clay court season and couldn’t be timed worse for him’.
However, a qualified sports scientist and doctor of physical therapy, Dr Rajpal Brar, has now offered his expert verdict: ‘If no fracture and no setbacks during rehab, typically looking around 6 weeks here’.
Although tough to take, things could have been a lot worse. Andy Roddick, alongside the rest of the tennis world, are praying for his safe and speedy recovery, to allow him to exit the sport on his own terms.
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