First time in 8 years: Roger Federer not among top 3

Roger Federer's absence from the Asian tour has proved costly for his rankings. Andy Murray cashed in on hat trick titles in Asia and snatched the number three spot from the Swiss Legend.

Roger Federer is facing a situation he had'nt faced for the past eight years. He has fallen out of the Top 3 in the ATP rankings.

Mighty Scot, Andy Murray surged from fourth to third in the new rankings released Monday, with Federer slumping from third to the fourth spot. Novak Djokovic remains on top and Rafael Nadal settles for second best.

Murray has captured three consecutive titles in Bangkok, Tokyo and Shanghai. He has earned 25 wins out of 26 matches played since mid-August. Federer was absent from tour after his U.S. Open semi-final defeat at the hands of Djokovic and consequently is out of the top 3 for the first time since July 2003.

Kei Nishikori became the highest-ranked Japanese player in the Open era, improving by 17 places to number 30 soon after earning a semi-final spot in Shanghai.