Making his debut at the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin, Alex De Minaur has yet to record a victory after falling to Daniil Medvedev in his second group stage match.
The Australian ace lost to World No.1 Jannik Sinner in his opening match, before facing Medvedev on Tuesday. Despite a valiant effort, De Minaur was unable to overcome the Russian, who powered through behind a 6-2 6-4 victory.
The 25-year old qualified for his maiden ATP Finals in 2024, following a spectacular season that saw him rise in the rankings to a career-high of World No.6 in July. However, De Minaur still finds himself on the losing end when facing the best players in the world, and the Aussie admitted to needing improvement in certain areas to remain competitive.
"For next year, I have to continue working on what I have already done this year," said De Minaur. "I need to keep working on my ball power from the baseline, on my serve, on trying to earn more free points, on the precision of my shots.
"I believe that the average ball speed on the circuit is increasing year by year. You have to elevate yourself and play at a level where you can hurt your opponents."
De Minaur will need to defeat Taylor Fritz and hope Medvedev suffers a heavy loss to Jannik Sinner, otherwise he stands no chance of qualifying for the knockout stages.