Men's tennis has been dominated by three players for the best part of 20 years. Cue, Carlos Alcaraz. Prior to the 2023 Wimbledon final, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, collectively known as the 'Big Three', had won 65 of the past 78 Grand Slams between them. In fact, if you factor Andy Murray into the equation, it had been 21 years since someone other than these four players won the Wimbledon title. Djokovic himself had won the past four in a row heading into this year's final and hadn't lost a match on Centre Court since his defeat to Murray in 2013. Many had tried to topple the Serbian on grass and all had failed, regardless of how well they'd played. But Alcaraz is no ordinary tennis player. Indeed, as he emerged victorious in an epic five-set encounter on Sunday, it became clear that he is the only man on the planet capable of toppling Djokovic right now and may well be the one to finally end his reign of dominance.

The youngster defeats the master

Alcaraz entered the final as the number-one seed but Djokovic's imperious record at the All England Club saw him start as favourite.

On the evidence of the first set alone, it appeared the Spaniard would be no match for the 23-time major winner, despite his natural talent.

But as the King of Spain watched on, the 20-year-old did not let Djokovic's breathtaking start faze him in the slightest.

Indeed, he responded in emphatic fashion – taking the next two sets with some truly scintillating tennis.

VIDEO: Alcaraz wins incredible point vs Djokovic

When Djokovic roared back to take the fourth set, you'd be forgiven for thinking the Serbian would edge the decider, but Alcaraz had other ideas.

As Djokovic dug deep, Alcaraz dug deeper, and when the 20-year-old secured a crucial break, the Serb snapped – both mentally and physically, as his racquet was angrily hurled at the net.

Serving for the match, the Centre Court crowd became crippled with nerves. But while fans held their breath, Alcaraz was unflappable.

It's perhaps fitting that the very match point that took the youngster to victory was so reminiscent of the point that took Nadal to his famous Wimbledon title in 2008.

Nadal was just 22 at the time, yet Alcaraz is two years his junior.

And though he has an awful long way to go to match the career of his compatriot, his career so far has been a scarily similar script.

VIDEO: Carlos Alcaraz wins Wimbledon

How do Alcaraz's statistics compare to the 'Big Three'?

In his post-match press conference, Djokovic hailed Alcaraz as a combination of himself, Nadal and Federer.

"People have been talking about his game consisting of certain elements from Roger, Rafa, & myself. I’d agree with that. He’s basically got the best of all 3 worlds… I haven’t played a player like him ever," the Serbian stressed.

But how do his statistics compare with the achievements of the 'Big Three' when they were the same age as the Spaniard?

We've taken a look at some of the most interesting numbers that prove Alcaraz is unequivocally a generational tennis player.

Titles at the age of 20

Despite dominating tennis for the first decade of this millennium, Federer had just one ATP title at the age of 20.

Djokovic, meanwhile, had five to his name, though it's Nadal who burst onto the scene the quickest – with 17 tournament wins and two French Open titles on his résumé.

Alcaraz has not quite matched Nadal in this respect but has already won 12 career titles, including the US Open and Wimbledon.

And given he doesn't turn 21 until May 2024, there's every chance he'll better his compatriot's numbers before then.

Highest ranking at the age of 20

After winning the US Open in 2022, 19-year-old Alcaraz became the youngest male world number one in history.

To put this in perspective, both Nadal and Federer only managed the feat when they were 22, while Djokovic was 24 when he finally toppled his two arch-rivals.

However, Djokovic does hold the record for the longest time spent in top spot – 389 weeks, to be exact.

That means Alcaraz will have to remain number one for at least seven more years to have any chance of catching the Serbian in this respect.

Grand Slam victories aged 20

As touched upon, Alcaraz is level with Nadal on two Grand Slam victories aged 20.

Djokovic had one Slam to his name, having won the first of his 10 Australian Open titles, but Federer failed to win a major title until he was 22 years old.

Overall, Alcaraz is just the fifth male player ever to win two Slams by the time he was 20.

Aside from Nadal, Mats Wilander (4), Bjorn Borg (2) and Boris Becker (2), are the only others.

How does Alcaraz's style of play compare?

When it comes to raw power and intensity on the court, Alcaraz is remarkably similar to Nadal.

Like his fellow Spaniard, Alcaraz also had a devastating forehand and his on-court energy has made him a fan favourite in much the same way as his compatriot.

As for Djokovic comparisons, Alcaraz's composure and mental resilience are simply unbelievable for a player of his age and it's one of the traits that has led the Serbian to be so successful.

Finishing off with a sprinkling of Federer, Alcaraz's first serve is imposing at times and his elegance and comfortability at the net is reminiscent of the Swiss star in his prime.

It's worth noting that while Alcaraz is more than deserving of such comparisons, he still has an awfully long way to go to match the achievements of the 'Big Three'.

In many ways, Nadal, Djokovic and Federer spurred each other on to improve and that's what separated them from the rest of the pack.

Perhaps then, Alcaraz could do with his own rivals moving forwards.

Jannick Sinner (21 years old) and Holger Rune (20) are both fantastic players in their own right, though Alcaraz is levels above both of them at present.

Regardless, though, Alcaraz's victory over Djokovic symbolises a fresh era for men's tennis.

And if this new age is anything like the previous couple of decades, we're in for a treat.