Andy Murray may have closed in on Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the ATP Tour�s world rankings, but the �British No.1 insists he still cannot be talked about in the same breath as the world�s leading trio.

Andy Murray may have closed in on Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the ATP Tour's world rankings with Sunday's victory in Madrid, but the British No.1 insists he still cannot be talked about in the same breath as the world's leading trio.

Murray secured his fourth title of the year and became the first Briton to win two Masters Series crowns after beating the Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) in the final in Madrid.

The victory consolidates Murray's position as No.4 in the entry rankings but he still remains some distance off the top three, both in the rankings and, as far as the Scot is concerned, also on the court.

"I'm still a long way behind them," said Murray, who has actually held the upper hand against all three of those players in recent encounters.

At the US Open, Murray claimed his first victory in six meetings with the world No.1, Nadal, while the Dunblane-born 21-year-old has now won three of his five career clashes against No.2 Federer, after beating the Swiss player in the semi-finals in Madrid.

Against Djokovic Murray has won their last two meetings, in the Masters Series events in Cincinnati and Canada, having lost all of the previous four clashes with the world No.3.

"I've played great the last few months, but those guys have been unbelievable for the last couple of years," said Murray. "They are so consistent on every surface and throughout the whole year. The points total that Djokovic has got for being the No.3 player in the world is ridiculous. He would have been by far No.1 in the world at some stages. Those guys have been awesome and I'm still not close to them yet, I still need to keep working hard."

Federer had words of encouragement for Murray, though, after he had been defeated 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 by the Scot in the semi-finals of the Madrid Masters.

The Swiss, who is arguably the sport's greatest player and last week overtook Pete Sampras as the record prize winner in men's tennis history, sees a little bit of himself in Murray with regards to his development.

"From the first moment I played him in Bangkok 2005 I knew that, if he didn't screw it up himself, he'd most probably be in the top 10 soon," said Federer. "He was able to achieve that, for some maybe six months too late, for some maybe two years too late as people always like 15-year-olds winning grand slams, but that's not going to happen in the men's game.

"I think he's improved at his pace. I think first he had to grow up a little bit, become a man. I think he's taken that step well and now he seems much more relaxed on the court, which I think helps him.

"He's still fiery, which he's supposed to be. I think you need to give the young guys time to learn. He's like me, you can see how he is before and see how he is after. I share that in common with Andy."

Murray, who like Nadal, Federer and Djokovic had already qualified for the Masters Series Cup in Shanghai prior to Madrid, will now look to continue his fine run of form at the St Petersburg Open, a tournament he won last year.

While Murray was delighted to become the first British player to win two ATP Masters Series titles, he insisted he is not close to reaching the heights achieved by Tim Henman.

Neither Henman nor Greg Rusedski managed to win a second Masters Series title in their lengthy careers - they both won one in Paris - and Murray acknowledged being the first Briton to achieve it is an extra boost for him.

"It's great to make a little bit of history," said Murray. "This was huge for me. Although Tim and Greg have achieved a lot more than I have over a long period in tennis, I've done something that neither of them were able to do."

When asked if he thought he was the best British player since Fred Perry, Murray said: "No, Tim was definitely much, much better than me. Over eight or nine years he was in the top 10, always playing well in Wimbledon, making the semi-finals in all the grand slams except the Australian Open. I've only passed the semis once, I still have a long way to achieve what he did."

He added: "Tim was obviously a great player for eight, nine years, that's how tough it is to win a Masters Series, and the ones that I have won, it's not like I've beaten bad players.

"I've beaten Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the last two that I've won, and Djokovic in the one before that when I lost in the semis, so I'm having to beat really good players to do it consistently."