The carrot of the century had been providing extra motivation for Djokovic in Shanghai.

So too was the opportunity to show the younger generation that he still has the quality and durability to beat them to the biggest prizes.

However, a couple of lapses from the four-time Shanghai champion at key moments proved costly in Sunday's final and allowed Sinner to edge the most critical points.

Despite the defeat, Djokovic has plenty of positives to take from a tournament where he produced some of his best tennis of the year.

"I still think that I played pretty good, so it gives me reason to believe that I can still play with these guys that are best in the world," added Djokovic.

Losing to Sinner for the third consecutive time, though, is a telling statistic as the veteran aims to keep pushing the next generation led by Sinner and Spain's Carlos Alcaraz.

"It's tough to tell you the secret [to beating Djokovic] because he doesn't have any weaknesses," Sinner said.

"You have to use the small amount of chances he gives you. He is a legend of our sport and is very tough to play against."