(Reuters) -Novak&nbsp;Djokovic&nbsp;overcame a match point and stifling heat to&nbsp;beat&nbsp;world number one Carlos&nbsp;Alcaraz&nbsp;5-7 7-6(7) 7-6(4) and win the&nbsp;Cincinnati&nbsp;Open in a heart-pounding thriller on Sunday.
Djokovic&nbsp;collapsed on his&nbsp;back&nbsp;and ripped his shirt open after triumphing in the nearly four-hour contest to get revenge for his loss to the young Spaniard in last month's Wimbledon final.
"So much to say and so little energy,"&nbsp;Djokovic&nbsp;said while collecting his third&nbsp;Cincinnati&nbsp;Open&nbsp;title.
"It has been a roller coaster and definitely one of the toughest and most exciting matches that I've ever been a part of in any tournament.
"It did feel like a Grand Slam final, even more than that, to be honest."
The Serb was hobbled by the intense humidity in the tail end of the first set, barely moving when&nbsp;Alcaraz&nbsp;hit a&nbsp;backhand winner to grab the opener.
Alcaraz&nbsp;raced out to a 4-2 second-set lead and it appeared he might cruise to the finish line as his 36-year-old opponent looked cooked in the Ohio sun.
But&nbsp;Alcaraz&nbsp;would produce a poor service game while leading 4-3 that included four unforced errors to give life to the world number two.
In the second-set tiebreak&nbsp;Djokovic&nbsp;saved a championship point and went on to force a deciding set after winning a 25-shot rally.
During the break before the third set, a frustrated&nbsp;Alcaraz&nbsp;pounded his right hand against the plastic drinks container next to his chair, requiring a medical time out to tape his finger.
In the decider,&nbsp;Djokovic&nbsp;broke for a 5-3 lead but would then squander two match points in the next game.
The drama would continue when&nbsp;Djokovic&nbsp;missed an overhead for 5-5 and the players would ultimately arrive at another tiebreak, which&nbsp;Djokovic&nbsp;won on his fifth match point of the contest.
"It is going to be tough for me to talk right now but I tried to do my best,"&nbsp;Alcaraz&nbsp;said.
"I want to congratulate Novak once again. It's amazing to play against you, share the court with you, learn from you. This match was really close but I learned a lot."
The win delivered&nbsp;Djokovic&nbsp;his 95th career&nbsp;title&nbsp;and 39th Masters 1000 crown.
The tournament was&nbsp;Djokovic's first on U.S. soil in two years after he was barred from entering the country because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19.
He will look to add a 24th Grand Slam trophy to his collection at the upcoming U.S. Open, which runs from Aug. 28-Sept. 10.
"Every one of our matches goes the distance,"&nbsp;Djokovic&nbsp;said to&nbsp;Alcaraz. The pair are now 2-2 in their generational rivalry.
"Hopefully we can play in some weeks' time in New York," he said.
"That would be nice for the crowd, I don't know about me."
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Stephen Coates and Sonali Paul)

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Tennis-Djokovic storms back to beat Alcaraz for Cincinnati title