Andy Murray is set to become the first ever British male competitor to break into the top three in the world rankings on May 11.

The 21-year-old was below-par at the Rome Masters, crashing out in round two to Argentina's Juan Monaco, but Novak Djokovic's failure to retain the title has opened the door for Murray.

Aside from Murray's disappointing performance, the Scot has been in superb form in 2009 and pickd up his 11th career title at the Miami Masters last month.

Since the rankings system was altered in 1973, both Tim Henman and former US Open finalist Greg Rusedski reached fourth in the world, but no male Brits have made their way into the top three before.

Murray's stay in the elite trident may not long last however, as he is the defending champion of the Madrid Masters where he must retain his crown if he is to avoid losing rankings points.

When Murray picked up victory in the Spanish capital last year, the tournament was staged indoors, but now he must bid to capture his first ever senior competition win on clay.

Djokovic would have retained his place in the top three had he claimed victory in Rome, but he was powerless to stop world No.1 Rafael Nadal picking up his 30th consecutive win on clay.