Daniil Medvedev gave Jannik Sinner a glowing tribute after he was comprehensively beaten in their ATP Finals clash on Thursday.
Sinner triumphed 6-3, 6-4 over Medvedev in an hour and 13 minutes to add to his victories over Alex de Minaur and Taylor Fritz and take top spot in the Ilie Nastase Group.
The top seed, winner of both the Australian and US Opens this year, said in quotes on atptour.com: "I'm trying to find new ways to improve as a player. I'm trying to win as many matches here as I can.
"Me and Daniil, we know each other very well. So, every time we step on court, we try to change something tactically. I felt like I was ready to see what he was going to do today.
"I know what I have achieved during this year, so I try to step on court with a good mindset.
"I have beautiful people around me who support me daily, which for me is really important. I try to enjoy my time on the court.
"The atmosphere here is amazing, so I'm just trying to play some good tennis this week. Let's see what's coming in the next round."
He will face the runner-up from the John Newcombe Group, a spot currently occupied by Casper Ruud ahead of the action in that pool concluding on Friday when the Norwegian faces Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev plays Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner's cool and clinical dismantling of Medvedev inspired his beaten opponent to offer up a verdict on how it feels to take on the world No 1, with his comments certain to spark a debate.
Former world No 1 Mats Wilander was one of the first big names to suggest Sinner and his great rival Alcaraz may be playing tennis at a different level to the legendary quartet of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
Now a player who is taking on Sinner at his peak has backed up those comments, with Medvedev suggesting the speed Sinner operates at is ahead of the game's greatest players.
"Look, he's barely losing this year. If you want to win a title, you will face him at one moment. It's not easy to beat him," said Medvedev after his loss in Turin.
"A lot of people try. A lot of people fail. There is mostly one guy who does it a little bit more times than the others, and it's Carlos. Yeah, I mean, he's a very, very strong opponent.
"As I said, a little bit after Saudi Arabia where he surprised me a lot, I didn't know he has even this level higher in him.
"He's maybe one of the best players I have faced. I faced the big four a little bit when they were a little bit older, and maybe the speed was not the same.
"So yeah, I'm going to try to work in pre-season. Maybe at one point he loses his confidence, starts to miss some balls.
"Otherwise, everyone – not only me – is in for some very, very tough years ahead of us because he's very young."
