Andy Murray suffered an on-court meltdown in his Miami Open defeat to Tomas Machac on Sunday, furiously ranting at the umpire and spectators.
The British tennis legend was also seen screaming in pain after suffering a horrific injury during the clash, rolling his ankle after making it 5-5 in the third set, although he was able to get up and continue as Machac won 5-7 7-5 7-6.
Speaking after the match, the 36-year-old, who plays with a metal hip, said that he had played the event for the last time and was ‘looking forward’ to retirement.
Murray’s battle against Machac was packed with controversy with the two-time Wimbledon winner lashing out at umpire Carlos Bernardes on several occasions.
The former world No.1 got increasingly angry with spectators moving in the stands during points, which he felt was distracting.
He pleaded with umpire Bernardes to take action and then lost his cool when the Brazilian official asked what Murray was talking about.
‘What are YOU talking about?’ Murray said. ‘What are you talking about?
‘It’s quite obvious when people are standing up between every single [inaudible].’
Murray then turned to Miami Open stewards and berated them for not keeping fans seated as he screamed: ‘Useless! Useless!’
Murray accused Bernardes of holding ‘grudges’ – perhaps in reference to previous matches – and later slammed him for making an ‘awful decision’.
Bernardes also angered Murray when he slapped him with a time violation, leading to sarcastic applause and muttering of ‘typical’ from the Briton.
Murray hit out at Bernardes again when he noticed something on his bench was misplaced.
‘I’m not saying you did it Carlos,’ Murray said. ‘I know you think everything is against you.’
Speaking after the loss, an emotional Murray said: ‘[It is] 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.
‘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.’
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