Andy Murray has set his sights on replacing his friend and rival Novak Djokovic as world number one, following his second Wimbledon men's singles triumph.
The current world number two outlined his aims in his BBC Sport column as he reflected on his third Grand Slam win.
He said: "I would love to now go on and get to number one in the rankings but it will be incredibly difficult as Novak's consistency has been unbelievable.
"I'll need to keep up my level of the last couple of months right through until the end of the year to close the gap."
Murray's consistency has undoubtedly been high, with five successive finals, including two in Grand Slams, while Djokovic has established his big lead at the top not only through four successive Grand Slam wins, but by winning a series of other tournaments.
The Olympics and the US Open offer more chances to gain ground on the Serb, while fans booking corporate hospitality for the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 in November can see both players in action, with the prospect of Murray closing the gap further if he can win that title for the first time.
Djokovic also has some shoulder injury worries, having complained that he was not 100 per cent fit after his Wimbledon loss to Sam Querrey. He will not play in the Davis Cup tie against Britain later this week, with Murray also expected not to feature, although he has suggested he will be in Belgrade to cheer on the team.
The latest ATP rankings show Djokovic still well ahead on 15,040 points, with Murray up to 10,195 and Roger Federer well back in third with 5,945. Rafael Nadal remains fourth and Stan Wawrinka fifth, with Kei Nishikori holding on to sixth place just five points ahead of Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic. Tomas Berdych, Dominic Thiem and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga complete the top ten.
Kyle Edmund is now the British number two at 67th, one place and three points above Aljaz Bedene.
By Keith Prowse