Novak Djokovic has displayed his endurance once again after winning the longest Best of 3 ATP Masters 1000 final in history at the Cincinnati Open, over a decade after he won the longest Grand Slam final in history at the 2012 Australian Open.

23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic prevailed over world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, but it was no easy feat. The Spaniard took the first set 7-5, meaning the Serb had to fight back hard to win the next two sets, both of which went to a tiebreak.

The two top-ranked players took the match to 3 hours and 49 minutes before Djokovic won 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4). This makes it the longest Best of three Masters 1000 final in history.

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Djokovic won longest Grand Slam final in 2012

Eleven and a half years ago, Djokovic was locked in an even longer match against another Spaniard, fellow Big Three member Rafael Nadal.

As the men's singles matches go to five sets in Slams, the final lasted a brutal 5 hours and 53 minutes, leaving the players barely able to stand at the end.

The result of the 2012 Australian Open final saw Djokovic win 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–7(5–7), 7–5, and it is often considered to be one of the greatest finals in tennis history.

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Djokovic's victories at these monster finals highlight the 36-year-old's ability to endure long matches and also underline the many years that he has stayed at the top of his game.

Cincinnati Open

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