Andy Murray ruled out of Wimbledon

The procedure rules Murray out of competitive action for at least six weeks, meaning his participation at the Paris 2024 Olympics is also under threat.

It is a devastating blow to the three-time Grand Slam champion, who said in February that he was unlikely to play past the summer.

While Murray has yet to announce his final farewell tournament, it was widely expected that this year’s Wimbledon would be his last, and would therefore form an integral component of his swansong.

Now, all those plans must be redrawn as Murray faces some difficult decisions about when, where and if he will return to court for what could be the last time in his glittering career.

The US Open would be the obvious target, with the tournament holding a special place in the Scot’s heart. It was the site of his first major final and title, having won his maiden Grand Slam tournament in New York as well as winning his only Juniors major title in the same city.

But the road to yet another recovery will be a bitterly difficult one for Murray to work through this time around, after such a cruel year of bad luck during which he has suffered torn ligaments in his ankle, a back issue throughout the clay-court season and now this latest setback.

The target was always Wimbledon and one last golden summer at the Olympics – the two tournaments that arguably mean the most for the Scot.

Yet those plans are now in tatters. Instead of a final farewell on the grass courts of the UK and representing Great Britain at the Games, Murray faces a summer on the sidelines after yet more physical problems.

Whether he has it in him to go through all the necessary rehabilitation and come back once again to his beloved sport, only time will tell.

A substantial period of reflection is no doubt what Murray will take as a desperately unfair year takes another cruel twist to leave the former world No 1 with much to assess.