Andy Murray will not need surgery on an ankle problem, keeping alive his hopes of playing at Wimbledon over the summer.
Murray, 36, struggled with his ankle during his Miami Open defeat at the hands of Tomas Machac. He later confirrmed he had suffered ruptured ankle ligaments, putting his appearance at SW19 in jeopardy.
At the end of March, the three-time Grand Slam winner announced he would miss the next two tournaments. At the time, he was said to be "continuing to review options with his medical team".
Wimbledon isn't the only big tournament on the horizon, with the French Open kicking off towards the end of May. No immediate update has been given on a specific return date for Murray, but the fact that he doesn't need surgery can be cause for optimism.
According to The Sun, Murray's rehab is going well but Roland Garros on May 26 could yet come too soon for him. While surgery would have made Wimbledon an impossibility, there's said to be more optimism about the Scot being on court in time for Wimbledon on July 1.
This year's Wimbledon is expected to be Murray's last, after he confirmed in February he is close to calling time on his career. “Yeah, I'm not going to talk more about that between now and whenever the time comes for me to stop. But yeah, I don't plan on playing much past this summer," he said after a defeat to Ugo Humbert in Dubai.
Murray won the Wimbledon men's singles title twice, in 2013 and 2016, but hasn't made it to week two since 2017. He was eliminated in the second round in 2023, losing in five sets to fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Will you be making plans to watch Andy Murray at Wimbledon this year? Have your say in the comments section
Murray has struggled with a number of injuries over the last few years, returning to the court long after some expected him to retire. After his Miami exit this year, though, he opened up on the emotions going through him after his last appearance at the tournament,
"I've spent so much of my tennis career here and I would have liked it to have gone on a little bit longer," he said. "This tournament particularly for me is an important one so it was a bit more emotional leaving the court today than it might be at some of the other events.
"I am looking forward to the end now, give my best the next few months and get to be at home with my family. Miami has been a special place for me during my career. It's been my tennis home really. I've done so much of my work and training and preparation here. I love the city."