Why Alex de Minaur is 'relieved' after ATP Finals defeat

It was a baptism of fire for Alex de Minaur on Sunday (local time) as he made his ATP Finals debut against Jannik Sinner in Turin.

The Australian battled hard against the world No. 1 but was ultimately outclassed, falling 6-3 6-4 in the group stage match. 

It marked de Minaur's eighth consecutive loss to the reigning Australian and US Open champion.

Remarkably, he has won just one of the 19 sets he has played against Sinner.

Post-match, the Sydney-born talent admitted he was not at the standard required to beat his opponent.

"I started well, but soon realised it was not possible to maintain the necessary level to compete against Jannik currently," de Minaur said.

"His ball speed is higher than that of the other players, he is very solid from the baseline and he has significantly improved his serve.

"He possesses an impressive level of confidence and consistency right now.

"It's very difficult to find flaws in his game because he moves quickly and has extreme shot power."

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Despite the loss, the 25-year-old is looking at the positives.

With his hardest group stage opponent behind him, de Minaur will now look to respond with a win against Daniil Medvedev, who was clunky in his defeat to Taylor Fritz.

The Aussie's last group match will be against Fritz, who he holds a winning record against.

"I know what it's like to beat the rest of the players in the group, so right now I feel relieved not having to face Sinner again," he said.

"I am amazed at how [Sinner] has improved his return. He covers the court very well, always hits with depth, making it hard to take the initiative, even when playing with a first serve."