Andy Murray appears to kill butterfly on court before losing to Kei Nishikori at the US Open

Television cameras showed the insect limping after being hit by Murray's formidable backhand

Murray coldly whacked the insect to the ground (Getty)

Andy Murray appeared to injure and possibly kill a butterfly during his US Open quarter-final defeat to Kei Nishikori at Flushing Meadows.

The 29-year-old Scot brought a new meaning to the word ‘insecticide’ when the creature flew near him while he was preparing to serve in the opening game of the fifth set.

Murray, seemingly annoyed by its presence, swung his racket in anger at the butterfly but failed to make a full connection.

Undeterred, he swung again, heartlessly unleashing his formidable backhand on the poor beast and whacking it to the cold, hard ground.

Television cameras then picked up an image of the insect limping on the Flushing Meadows court, struggling to raise itself and fly to safety.

A ballboy was left to carry the butterfly away to safety and commentators later announced that it had been “released outside the stadium”.

You know, much like your ailing childhood pet was ‘released’ to that special farm in the countryside.

Murray went on to lose the fifth set to Nishikori and exit the US Open, his earliest Grand Slam elimination of the year.

Poetic justice, at least.