Djokovic and Alcaraz are the present AND future - their rivalry is what tennis needed
The Cincinnati final reminded me of the battle between Djokovic and Rafael Nadal (37) in Madrid in 2009, when the pair slugged it out in the longest match in ATP Masters 1000 history. Nadal eventually came out top in four hours and three minutes in what was probably the most incredible best-of-three-set contest of all time.
This clash probably wasn't as good as that one, but the final set surely came close. Alcaraz, the human highlights reel, fended off multiple match points with other-worldly shotmaking, before Djokovic eventually held his nerve in a tiebreak to seal an epic victory.
Nadal and Djokovic is the greatest rivalry I've ever witnessed in tennis, purely because of their indomitable spirit, coupled with the sheer determination and brutality on show when the two legends met.
They would grind each other down to the dirt, taking each other to the absolute brink of what is humanely possible. Over their astonishing 59 meetings (Djokovic leads 30-29), there were very few instances where both players weren't leaving absolutely everything out on the court.
Two freakish physical specimens straining every sinew while playing every point like their last was a joy to behold, and frankly quite draining as a viewer too. It often resembled a bloody war rather than a tennis match at times.
The greatest example of this was in 2012, when Djokovic faced Nadal in the longest Grand Slam final of all time in Melbourne, with the former coming out on top in an exhausting five hours and 53 minutes. By the time of the presentation, neither player could stand, and chairs were bought out so they could take a seat.
Nadal's and Djokovic's rivalries with Federer were also a sight to behold, but the Swiss maestro never broke a sweat, and his genius came from his elegance and ability to make the game look so easy. There is obviously brilliance in that, but to me, there was something more appealing about the ferocity and barbarity between Nadal and Djokovic.
And that's exactly how it feels when Alcaraz and Djokovic take to the court. The Spaniard has the same steely determination, infallibility and ridiculous court speed that Nadal possessed, which is what makes this new, intergenerational rivalry so enthralling.
Alcaraz may be just 20 years old, but he possesses the tennis IQ of a man who has played the game at the top level for a decade. You never see him tense up on the big points, showing great bravery time after time.
His forehand is a weapon of mass destruction, much like his idol Nadal. He is far better at the net than his fellow Spaniard was at the same age though.
The Serb was also quick to point out similarities between his final against Alcaraz in Cincinnati to previous tussles with Nadal.
"I don't think I've played too many matches like this in my life. Maybe I can compare it to the final against Nadal at the 2012 Australian Open.
"The feeling that I have on the court reminds me a little bit when I was facing Nadal when we were at our prime. Each point is a hustle. Each point is a battle. You've got to basically earn every single point, every single shot, regardless of the conditions. It's amazing to be able to experience that with him on the court," he said.
Since the retirement of Federer, and Nadal's career drawing to a close, men's tennis has been in a weird vacuum.
Djokovic continued to be utterly dominant with his two great rivals missing, and since last year's Wimbledon, few have been able to even compete with him at Grand Slam level.
The likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev haven't been able to pose too much of a threat, although the latter did defeat an emotionally and physically drained Djokovic in the 2021 US Open final.
Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune are supreme talents, but don't yet possess the maturity or the weapons to take him down at major level.
Enter, Alcaraz. After winning his maiden Grand Slam at a US Open-less Djokovic last year, his game continued to develop and grow.
He missed this year's Australian Open with injury, but went toe-to-toe with Djokovic at Roland Garros before his body cramped up and gave up on him. However, he made amends, defeating the 23-time Grand Slam champion at Wimbledon in a five-set thriller, that seemed to suggest he had well and truly arrived.
The battle in Cincinnati was yet another classic between the pair - an even better clash than that Wimbledon final. Djokovic's victory tied their head-to-head at two wins apiece, and left fans licking their lips over potential future clashes.
Which is truly staggering, because Djokovic is four years away from being 40. He is tennis' very own Superman. The standard he is performing at, his fitness levels and the ability to keep up with a man 16 years his junior is ineffable. He doesn't look like slowing down either. He's still got a few years left in the tank.
He is not the player who produced two of the greatest seasons in the history of the sport in 2011 and 2015, but for the most part, he is nearly as good as a lot of the other years in between. There are more unforced errors coming from his racket and his game can dip at times, but no one has been able to hurt him during these moments.
Until Alcaraz came along. In both Wimbledon and Cincinnati, there were moments when Djokovic looked truly lost out there. It was almost like he couldn't believe what was going on on the other side of the court. The great problem solver of tennis was struggling to work out the Alcaraz conundrum.
The only time Djokovic has looked like that in the last couple of years has been against Nadal at Roland Garros - and there is no shame in that.
Alcaraz may just prove to be Djokovic's kryptonite. And at a time when tennis needed someone to draw in a new audience, someone dazzling and brimming with life to capture the hearts and minds of young fans, he arrived at the perfect time.
Despite the age gap; despite the fact that Djokovic is heading into the final act of his career, this rivalry is already becoming an iconic one that could define the next few years of this sport. A potential US Open showdown will become another chapter in this much-needed saga. It's safe to say that tennis is in good hands.