Andy Murray has suffered a devastating injury setback that could threaten his hopes of playing at Wimbledon again.
The Briton is set for an 'extended period' out of action after damaging ankle ligaments at the Miami Open during a dramatic three-set defeat to Tomas Machac.
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Murray lost a marathon encounter to the Czech player by a 5-7 7-5 7-6 (5) score, but has left America with a more significant issue.
During the 10th game of the final set, Murray collapsed to the floor after he hurt his ankle when racing towards the net, having sealed the point which won the game.
A medical time-out was initially called for the three-time major winner, but he picked himself up and continued, only to lose the decider on a tie-breaker.
The 36-year-old, who is set to retire later this year, has now confirmed the severity of his injury with both his Anterior Talo-Fubular ligament (ATFL) and Calcaneofibular ligament (CFL) ruptured.
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Posting on social media, Murray 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.
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"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 one hip and no ankle ligaments when the time is right."
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The Scot had revealed in February of his intention to retire this year, telling reporters: "I don't plan on playing much past this summer."
And with Wimbledon starting on July 1, that puts the Scotsman up against a race against the clock to come back fighting.
Murray has already battled back to return to the court from a potentially career-ending injury when he underwent hip surgery.
But the journey has not been without a number of painful moments with Sunday night's the latest in a long string of agonising incidents.
After his loss to Czech opponent Machac, he said: "I wasn't thinking about all the matches I played.
"Just more that that's the last match that I am going play here which is sad because I love it here.
"I've spent so much of my tennis career here and I would have liked it to have gone on a little bit longer.
"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.
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"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."