Valentino Rossi will be out of action for around five months after his broken leg proved more serious than first thought.
MotoGP champion's leg break worse than first feared
Valentino Rossi's hopes of retaining his MotoGP title seem to be over as the Italian has been ruled out for around five months following surgery on a broken leg.
The Fiat Yamaha rider suffered a frightening high-speed crash while practicing for his home grand prix in Mugello.
Initial estimates had put him out for up to three months, but closer medical examinations revealed that the injury was worse than expected.
Although surgery was a success, Rossi clearly faces a long road to recovery.
"The operation was a perfect success," said Professor Roberto Buzzi, who performed the surgery.
"It took place under local anaesthetic.
Recovery
"A linchpin with four screws was applied to Valentino and the recovery time could be around four to five months, but everything is still to be seen."
He added: "We received Valentino Rossi at the Careggi Hospital, where we made detailed checks in order to rule out any other injuries, and the results were satisfactory.
"We therefore decided to proceed with the surgery for the exposed fracture of the right leg.
"We performed a spinal block (epidural) and cleaned and washed the fracture, which was then aligned and stabilised with a pin.
"The surgery had good results, the alignment was good and the bone is now stable."
Buzzi also said that the seven-time champion in the top class will likely have to use crutches for six weeks.
