Even after his finest season yet, Alex de Minaur concedes he needs to raise his game to new levels to find a way to challenge Jannik Sinner and take the next grand slam step.
Sinner schooled de Minaur for a ninth straight time to end Australia's Davis Cup title hopes for a second successive year in Malaga.
The 6-3 6-4 victory was Sinner's fifth straight-sets win over de Minaur and left Australia's world No.9 pondering just how to break down his untouchable Italian nemesis.
"Look, it's never easy playing the No.1 player in the world. He's obviously playing with a lot of confidence," de Minaur said.
"It was a tough match. Had chances. Had opportunities but, yeah, look, he hasn't won a million matches this year for no reason.
"There is a reason for that. It was tough, but things have to improve for me and hopefully next time I'll have a better chance."
After capturing his maiden grand slam crown at the Australian Open in January, where he also dismantled 10-times champion Novak Djokovic in a straight-sets semi-final clinic, Sinner grabbed a second career major in New York before winning the season-ending championship in Turin.
Despite becoming the first Australian since his Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt 19 years ago to make three consecutive grand slam quarter-finals, de Minaur hasn't taken a set from Sinner since 2020.
"It's like trying to solve a puzzle that not a lot of people have managed to solve," he said.
"That's probably the best way I would describe it.
"His ball speed, his consistency feels like there's no real letdown of focus throughout the whole match.
"So if you want to go out and beat him, you've got to go out and play some of your best tennis. Especially in those big points, you need to step up.
"So that's how it feels like. It feels like he comes out, he's solid, he plays well. In the big moments he steps it up.
"He's just a very tough player to play against this year, as many other opponents have definitely felt that."
De Minaur did exceptionally well to also make the ATP Finals, where he lost to Sinner in the group stages, after nursing a hip injury since Wimbledon.
The 25-year-old on-court speed demon rued the hindrance and how Australia might have fared otherwise after losing last year's Davis Cup final to Italy and the 2022 decider to Canada.
"This is something that we've been trying to win as a team for a while now," de Minaur said after Thanasi Kokkinakis lost the opening rubber of Saturday night's semi-final 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 7-5 to former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini.
"We've put in immense amount of effort throughout the last three or four years, and everyone in the team has done their part.
"It's been really great to be a part of this team. I wish I could have done a little bit more on my part and given some of my best tennis in the later stages of this year.
"But I think looking as a whole, it was just bad timing for us as a team.
"We suffered some injuries in crucial moments that, when we're all playing some of our best tennis, we probably could have taken this whole thing.
"But it is what it is. There is always next year."
