Andy Murray has set his sights on toppling Novak Djokovic from the top of the rankings after rising to world number two at the weekend.
The Scot climbed above Roger Federer on the ATP ladder thanks to a gruelling 2-6 6-4 7-6 (7/1) victory over David Ferrer in the final of the ATP Sony Open in Miami.
Murray (8,750 points) still trails some way behind six-time major winner Djokovic (12,370 points), but is optimistic he is on the right path to one day hit the summit.
When asked about his return to the world’s top two, Murray, 25, said: “For me it doesn’t change a huge amount, but the fact that I’m moving up the rankings is a good sign.
“I have been winning a lot of matches. My consistency has been better over the last few months. The rankings obviously reflect that, so I will try and keep working hard during the clay and hopefully I can go higher.”
Murray was far from his best for long periods on Sunday, losing the first set and seeing his own serve frequently broken by his Spanish opponent.
But the Briton clung on for over two hours and 45 minutes, staving off a matchpoint, to claim the Miami title for the second time.
“It’s taking a little while to sink in because it’s tough to think really at the end of the match,” he said.
“It was so tough physically and mentally that you were just trying to play each point.
“I wasn’t thinking too much only because I was so tired and (did) not (have) too many nerves at the end of the match, either.