James Blake was once a rival of Andy Murray on a tennis court, but he is concerned about the Scotsman's recent injury, which could affect his retirement plans.
Murray had a mixed 2024, beginning with four straight defeats. In late February, the former World No. 1 broke his duck by beating Alexandre Muller in the first round of the Qatar Open.
However, it was a false dawn as far as Murray's fortunes were concerned because he lost his next match to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik in three sets and was heard mumbling during the match after missing a shot, "This game is not for me anymore."
However, last week, Murray experienced a ray of sunshine when he won back-to-back matches for the first time on tour since August. He defeated Matteo Berrettini and Tomas Martin Etcheverry to advance to the third round of the Miami Open.
There, he competed bravely against the in-form Tomas Machac only to lose 7-6 in the third. It was in that match that disaster struck again. Murray ruptured his anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) and his calcaneofibular ligament (CFL) in the ankle.
He confirmed that he would be out of action for an "extended period" and even withdrew from two upcoming clay-court tournaments. Reflecting on the latest setback, Blake could only empathize with the three-time Grand Slam champion, who is now contemplating surgery.
He was looking to play until the summer, but his chances of doing so are very slim for now. In an interview with Sky Sports, the Miami Open director believes the Briton deserves to exit on his own terms and is hoping his career doesn't end due to injury.
"I want to see him get back and end his career the way he wants to end his career. 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."
Murray has already defied retirement before by overcoming a hip injury to prolong his career. Blake joked that it made him feel like a "slacker" that he retired much earlier and watched Murray courageously playing with an injury until losing in a third-set tie-break.
"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."
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