Andy Murray must now steal a march on Novak Djokovic in Rome

Andy Murray has lost ground in his bid to overtake world No3 Novak Djokovic in the rankings but could still achieve the feat in the Rome Masters, which starts next Monday.

Murray reached the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters — his best display on clay — losing to Rafael Nadal, who went on to beat Djokovic 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 in the final.

The Serb is 570 points ahead of Murray but must retain his Rome title to keep all his points while the Briton could boost his score having lost in the second round in Italy last year.