It happened in the exact same spot that Juan Monaco went down a few days earlier.
Julien Benneteau was pushing Andy Murray, locking heads with the Scot at 5-5 in the first set. He slid into the corner to retrieve a ball when he hit a bad patch in the court and twisted his ankle horribly. As he lost his balance and fell (screaming in pain) he put his right hand out to break the fall. Instead he damaged his wrist and you can almost see his elbow breaking – the mechanics of which will likely leave him with ligament damage.
Andy Murray ran off to get ice while Benneteau cried and shook on the ground – clearly in agony.
“I have fractured my right elbow and sprained my ankle. The worst thing is the fracture, which means at least three weeks of immobility. I will then have to get the feeling back in my elbow.”
Benneteau’s statement that he will have to be immobilized for three weeks is very optimistic. He wont play Roland Garros and I cant see him being fit for Wimbledon. It is more likely that we wont see Julien for 6 months. This could easily be the end of his season.
Elbows are notoriously difficult. Just ask Justine Henin and Nikolay Davydenko.
