Federer inches closer to top ATP spot post Oz Open triumph

Swiss tennis star Roger Federer has moved closer to world number one Rafael Nadal in the latest ATP rankings, after clinching his 20th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open on Sunday.

Federer was made to sweat by Croatia's Marin Cilic as the final match of the season-opening Grand Slam went for five sets before the Swiss posted a 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 win to lift his sixth Australian Open title at the Rod Laver Arena.

With this win, the 36-year-old also became only the fourth player after Australia's Margaret Court, America's Serena Williams and Germany's Steffi Graf to win 20 or more major singles titles.

The victory took Federer to within 155 points of Nadal, who was bowed out in the quarter-finals of the men's singles event at the Melbourne Park.

While Federer is standing at 9,605 points, Nadal is standing at the top of the men's singles rankings with 9,760 points.

Cilic, on the other hand, climbed up by three places to a career-high third spot, with South Korea's Chung Hyeon has also been rewarded for his surprise run to the semi-finals with a 29-place leap to 29th spot.

The current ATP top 10 are:

1. Rafael Nadal

2. Roger Federer

3. Marin Cilic

4. Grigor Dimitrov

5. Alexander Zverev

6. Dominic Thiem

7. David Goffin

8. Jack Sock

9. Juan Martin Del Potro

10. Pablo Carreno Busta.