“Andy Murray isn’t just the intense figure you see on the court; he’s a truly kind individual.”

Former world No 4 James Blake has declared Andy Murray “one of my favourite people tour” as he admitted he hopes the three-time Grand Slam winner’s career “doesn’t end with a rolled ankle”.

Andy Murray is currently out for an extended period after he picked up a serious injury to his left ankle during the closing stages of his third-round defeat to Tomas Machac at the Miami Open.
The former world No 1 sustained a full rupture of his anterior talofibular ligament and a near full thickness rupture of his calcaneofibular ligament with the score at 5-5 in the third set.

He managed to finish the match against Machac before he issued a statement on his injury.

The 37-year-old underwent a series of tests before he confirmed that he will miss the Monte Carlo Masters and BMW Open in Munich while his return date remains unclear.

With Murray announcing earlier this year that he is likely to retire in a couple of months, Miami Open Tournament Director Blake lamented the tennis great’s latest setback.

“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,” he told Sky Sports Tennis.

Andy Murray, though, will be in a race against time to be fit for Wimbledon with many believing it will be his farewell tournament, although he has also stated that he hopes to play at the Paris Olympics in August, but he doesn’t want to be selected purely on emotion.

There was also high praise for Murray from Blake as he described him as “a genuinely nice human being, funny, easygoing”, which is in contrast to his “surly” on-court demeanour.
The American added: “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.”