Andy Murray boosted his chances of finishing the season as number one in the world rankings by defeating Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6 6-1 in the final of the Shanghai Masters.
The Brit has now won consecutive ATP Tour titles following his success at last week’s China Open, and his latest victory has seen him move to within 915 points of Novak Djokovic at the top of the world rankings.
The 29-year-old admitted after his victory at Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena that he had not considered finishing top of the rankings at the start of the year, but he confirmed that he now has genuine ambitions to usurp Djokovic as the world’s best.
“My goal wasn’t to finish No 1 at the end of this year but obviously the last few months I have played really well,” Murray said.
“But at the start of the year, Novak won Doha, the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami, the French Open, Madrid and the finals in Rome.
“So it wasn’t a goal of mine to be No 1 this year but obviously the early part of next year, there is an opportunity.”
The three-time major winner has been pleased with his overall form over the last few months, as he has also claimed victories at Wimbledon and the Olympics during a largely successful 2016 campaign.
He added: “In the last few months, I have won a lot of matches and made improvements.”
Murray will be hoping to continue his fine form into the final few weeks of the season, with the ATP World Tour Finals set to take place at London’s O2 Arena next month.
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