11 years after shirt-ripping celebration against Nadal at Australian Open, Novak Djokovic turns clock back with similar act on beating Carlos Alcaraz

Novak Djokovic won his 95th ATP title in Cincinnati on Sunday, staving off a championship point to deny World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in a match for the ages. Following his win, Djokovic ripped off his shirt in an adrenaline-fueled celebration — a sight that the tennis community had last been treated to a decade ago.

The 23-time Major winner had to toil for nearly four hours to earn the victory against Alcaraz. Once he crossed the finish line, Djokovic brought back the iconic celebration that was first seen at the 2012 Australian Open final, where he beat arch-rival Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic and Nadal battled for nearly six hours back then, in a match that is regarded by many as one of the greatest of all time.

Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal at the 2012 Australian Open in one of the greatest men's singles finals in tennis history

The epic contest went down to the wire in the fifth set, with both players refusing to cave. At 5-5, however, the Spaniard was finally outlasted by the Serb in an extremely long game, thereby allowing his opponent to serve out the victory.

With adrenaline coursing through his veins after serving it out, Djokovic proceeded to rip his shirt off his body. He also let out a titanic roar that got the crowd to their feet.

He repeated the same celebration a year later, after surviving another five-setter against Stan Wawrinka in Melbourne.

Novak Djokovic breathed a sigh of relief after beating Carlos Alcaraz in a 4-hour battle

Many believe that Novak Djokovic ripping off his shirt after beating Carlos Alcaraz was less about exhilaration and more about relief. After dropping the first set, the World No. 2 looked all but checked out physically from the match amid the searing heat.

However, Djokovic was seemingly just biding his time. He patiently waited for Alcaraz's level to drop, which is exactly what happened. The Spaniard himself began tiring eventually as the rallies got longer and more intense with each point.

Djokovic took the second set after saving a match point at 5-6 in the tiebreaker. Both players raised their level as the decider went to a tiebreaker, but it was Alcaraz whose tank emptied first.

In the end, the 36-year-old managed to come out on top in the excruciating deciding set, which lasted an hour and 39 minutes, to complete a 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4) victory over the World No. 1.