Fans Call Carlos Alcaraz 'Future GOAT' in Win vs. Djokovic for 2023 Wimbledon Title

The proverbial torch might have just been passed.

It took over four hours across five grueling sets, but Carlos Alcaraz is the men's Wimbledon champion for the first time. Alcaraz prevailed 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in Sunday's memorable clash against Novak Djokovic, which could be an early chapter in a series of meetings in Grand Slam finals over the next couple of years.

The storylines were obvious, as Djokovic is the 36-year-old legend who was going for his 24th Grand Slam title after already setting the record on the men's side with 23. He won the 2022, 2021, 2019 and 2018 Wimbledon titles since his last loss in 2017.

Then there was the top-seeded Alcaraz at 20 years old looking for both his first Wimbledon title of his career and his second Grand Slam after winning the 2022 U.S. Open. He missed his first passing-of-the-torch moment when he lost to Djokovic in the semifinals of this year's French Open, but this gave him another chance on the sport's grandest stage.

He didn't miss this one and drew nothing but love from social media:

This was the exact high-profile final fans were surely hoping for when the draw was released, and it lived up to the billing.

It seemed like Djokovic was going to send a quick message when he broke Alcaraz's first service game and steamrolled his way to a 6-1 win in the first set. The veteran who has been here countless times was seemingly in complete control, and it was fair to wonder if the moment was too much for the young challenger.

So much for that.

The second set resembled a heavyweight fight as they went back-and-forth exchanging incredible shots with the crowd roaring at every rally. The high-stake, palpable Wimbledon pressure could be felt on each point, and momentum was fleeting for both players on the way to an inevitable tiebreak.

Even when Djokovic won the first three points of that tiebreak, Alcaraz battled back to save a set point and unleash a stunning set-point winner off his opponent's serve.

The second-set tiebreak wasn't the only marathon within the match, as the fifth game of the third set lasted nearly 30 minutes with 13 deuce points. It was one of the most memorable games in recent tennis history, and Alcaraz prevailed and then cruised for the rest of the set.

But Djokovic is one of the GOATs for a reason.

He looked refreshed after an extended break ahead of the fourth set, earned a break and then never looked back to force a fifth and decisive set. Alcaraz made some costly unforced errors along the way in the fourth set, which were only magnified by the pressure of his first Wimbledon title being within his grasp.

As if there wasn't enough drama in the fifth, Djokovic smashed his racket into the side post of the net after Alcaraz earned the first break and then spent the next game shaking out discomfort in his wrist and hand area.

The moment took nothing away from Alcaraz's brilliance, though, and the young champion delivered in the most important set of his life.

He never looked back from the break, placed the perfect drop shot in the final game and dethroned the Wimbledon legend.