Andy Murray argued with the umpire and seemed to twang something in his ankle in the course of an eventful, exhausting 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 defeat at the hands of the Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac.

Andy Murray's Tough Defeat

When you consider that this could easily be the last hard-court match of his career, all the drama felt entirely appropriate to the occasion. Talk about rolling back the years.

Murray's Ankle Twang

Murray pulled up in alarming style at the end of the 10th game of the deciding set, hopping his way to the net in a manner that suggested he had torn his Achilles’ tendon. But after a visit from the physio, he was able to continue, at first in a slightly stiff-legged manner and then with increasing fluency.

Row with the Umpire

Earlier, Murray’s row with the experienced umpire Carlos Bernardes had marked the moment when a previously excellent performance fell away, allowing world No.60 Machac to begin a slow but eventually triumphant comeback from a one-set deficit.

Match Analysis

This will go down as a missed opportunity, because Murray – until he lost control – had been on track to record three straight victories on the ATP Tour for the first time in over a year.

Reflections on Murray's Performance

So what should we take from this defeat, which was Murray’s eighth in 13 appearances this season? There was a lot to like about his play in the first set, when everything looked to be flowing as nicely as at any point since his hip blew up in 2017.

Murray's Next Steps

Instead, Murray will now have to go home and start working on his least favourite surface – red clay – ahead of a possible appearance in Monte Carlo in a couple of weeks’ time.