Surging Andy Murray moves up to number three in the world, a struggling Roger Federer falls to fourth

I’m as big a Roger Federer fan as there is (well, except for my friend Henry) but even I can’t quibble with the fact that Andy Murray is overtaking the Swiss superstar in the rankings.

Murray is on a tear during the autumn Asian swing of the ATP tour, capturing consecutive titles in Bangkok, Tokyo—where he beat Rafael Nadal in the final—and Shanghai. He has also won 25 of 26 matches since mid-August, the only loss coming to Nadal in the semifinals of the U.S. Open.

It will be the first time Federer has fallen out of the top three since June 2003—just before he won his first Wimbledon title. Roger made it to the finals of the French Open but has not won a tournament since January. He will also finish a season without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2002.

Murray’s reached a career-high ranking of No. 2 in 2009 but has never finished the year higher than No. 4. Federer reached the final in Shanghai last year but skipped this year’s tournament, costing him valuable points. He is expected to return for the Swiss Indoors in Basel but still has to defend a number of points to defend after winning the ATP World Tour Finals in London last year.

“I’m still not guaranteed to finish at No. 3. I’m still going to have to win some more matches,” Murray said after the match. “But if you finish in front of Federer in a year, then there’s not many people the last five, six, seven years that have been able to say that.”

There is also no man who can say they have won 16 grand slam singles titles except for Federer. Murray, the runner-up at the Australian Open the past two years, has yet to win a major. He will have to do that to truly be considered a great champion.

Murray believes the gap between him and the top two players– Novak Djokovic— and Nadal—is closing.

“I don’t feel like I’m that far away,” the Scot said. “I just have to play better. There’s nothing else to say. I can win against Rafa. I can win against Novak. I just have to play better against them in the five setters.”

True that!