CINCINNATI, Ohio: Britain's Andy Murray, the new world No 2 in tennis, says he is "not that far" from overtaking Roger Federer as world No 1 as he prepares to defend his ATP Cincinnati Masters title.

"It's not that far. It's a matter of a couple of the matches," Murray said on Tuesday. "If I had had a slightly better run at the Australian Open or instead of losing a tight one to Roddick in the semis at Wimbledon, who knows.

"I know it's a long way from losing the semifinals to winning but that would have made a huge difference. I would be very close to Roger in the rankings if I had won those two matches from the semis onwards.